Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Four studies have indicated that nut consumption is related to reduced risk in coronary heart disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2008, over 616,000 people died of heart disease in 2008, causing 1 in 4 deaths. Every year about 785,000 Americans have a first coronary attack while another 470,000 will have another attack. Coronary heart disease alone was projected to cost the United States $108.9 billion in 2010 (1). Among the CDC’s recommendations to help prevent heart disease, its nutrition guidelines include “eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber.” (2).
Now, a new review (3) highlights a food that perfectly fits this profile: nuts. Nuts are an energy dense food that contain between 44 and 76% total fat by weight. They have a unique fatty acid profile, with high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (83-93% of total fat) and low saturated fat (8 -20% total fat content). This is thought to be “an important contributing factor” to the beneficial health effects of frequent nut consumption.
In the study, researchers found “a remarkable consistency…regarding the increased frequency of nut intake and reduced risk of heart disease”. They cited four large studies in the United States:
– A 1992 study called The Adventists Health Study (4) examined 31, 208 subjects and found a 48% reduced risk of fatal heart attack and a 51% reduced risk for nonfatal heart attack for those consuming nuts more than four times per week compared to less than once per week. This led the researchers to conclude that “the frequent consumption of nuts may protect against risk of coronary events” and that “the favorable fatty acid profile of many nuts is one possible explanation for such an effect.”
– A 1996 study called The Iowa Women’s Health Study (5) of 34,486 postmenopausal women stated “nuts are among the more concentrated food sources of vitamin E” that helped explain a 62% reduced risk of coronary heart disease in those with the highest intake of vitamin E (> 9.64 IU/day from food) compared to those with the lowest intake (< 4.91 IU/day from food,p < 0.004). When looking at nut and seed consumption, those eating nuts/seeds more than 4 times per week had a 40% reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those not consuming any nuts and seeds (p < 0.016)
– A 1998 study called The Nurses’ Health Study (6) examined 86,010 women between the ages of 36 and 59 and found a 35% reduced risk of coronary heart disease in those who ate more than 1 ounce of nuts per week compared to those who ate less than one-fifth of an ounce per month (p = 0.0009). This led the researchers to conclude that this study “supports a role for nuts in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.”
– A 2002 study called The Physician’s Health Study (7) surveyed 21,454 male physicians and found a 47% reduced risk of cardiac death and a 30% reduced risk of coronary heart disease for those consuming nuts > 2 times per week compared to those consuming nuts rarely or never (p = 0.01). The researchers stated this study showed an “inverse association between nut consumption and total coronary heart disease death [that] is primarily due to a reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death.”
The researchers went on to conclude that “frequency of nut consumption has been found to be protective against [coronary heart disease].”
Source: Sabate, Joan, and Michelle Wien. “Nuts, blood lipids and cardiovascular disease.” Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition 19.1 (2010): 131-136.
© 2011 airiti Inc. All rights reserved.
Posted June 19, 2012.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- “America’s Heart Disease Burden” – posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- “Prevention: What You Can Do” – posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- Sabate. J. Nuts, blood lipids and cardiovascular disease. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010;19 (1):131-136
- Fraser GE, Sabate J, Beeson WL, Strahan TM. A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease. The Adventist Health Study. Arch Intern Med. 1992; 152:1416-24.
- Kushi LH, Folsom AR, Prineas RJ, Mink PJ, Wu Y, Bostick RM. Dietary antioxidant vitamins and death from coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:1156-62.
- Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Rosner BA, Speizer FE, Hennekens CH, Willett WC. Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 1998;317:1341-5.
- Albert CM, Gaziano JM, Willett WC, Manson JE. Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the Physicians’ Health Study. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:1382-7.
