A large study of people over 30-years revealed that those who consumed a handful of nuts on a daily basis were 20 percent less likely to die from any cause. And guess what? The regular nut-eaters were found to be thinner than those who didn’t eat nuts.

Nuts also protected against death from specific disease. Eating a handful of nuts each day saw a reduction of 29 percent in deaths from heart disease, and an 11 percent reduction in deaths from cancer. Eating nuts also lowered risk of gallstones and diverticulitis. Some studies have also linked increased nut eating with lower cholesterol, less oxidative stress, inflammation, adiposity and insulin resistance.

The effect was true for tree nuts and peanuts, the more daily frequency of eating nuts, the greater the effect. Analysis was able to isolate the association between nuts and mortality independently from other factors that would affect mortality such as exercise, smoking, consumption of fruits and vegetables and consumption of alcohol.

“‘In all these analyses, the more nuts people ate, the less likely they were to die over the 30-year follow-up period,’ explained Ying Bao, MD, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, first author of the report. Those who ate nuts less than once a week had a seven percent reduction in mortality; once a week, 11 percent reduction; two to four times per week, 13 percent reduction; five to six times per week, 15 percent reduction, and seven or more times a week, a 20 percent reduction in death rate.”

The US Food and Drug Administration concluded in 2003 that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts “may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect, that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 81