Go nuts!

Nuts have an undeserved usage in English vernacular. If you say someone is “nuts” you aren’t exactly heaping praise upon their mental powers. Likewise saying, “this is nuts!” in a company strategy meeting is hardly an endorsement of the directions under consideration. Unfortunately “nuts” has become a derogatory term which is a touch unfair for these holders of the life force which, as a new study has reinforced, are a healthy food option.

The new study was Spanish and analysed the diet of more than 7000 people aged between 55 and 90. The results showed that people who had more than three servings of nuts per week (with one serving equalling 28 grams) had a 55 per cent reduction in their risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 40 per cent reduction in their risk of death from cancer.

Interestingly, the analysis also showed that people who followed a Mediterranean-style diet had a 39 per cent reduction in mortality risk compared to people who simply followed a low fat diet. This is a positive effect for the Mediterranean diet but it was enhanced by walnuts. The researchers found that those people who also ate walnuts had further protection so that their mortality risk was reduced by 45 per cent.

People who ate nuts were also found to have a lower body mass index, a smaller waist, be more physically active and less likely to smoke.

It might be that the ingredients in nuts offer the benefits shown here. They do contain fibre, omega-3 fats, monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It could also be that people who choose to eat nuts generally make healthier choices, so nut-eating might be reflective of an overall better lifestyle.

Whatever the reason though, from now on if someone says you are “nuts” you should take it as a compliment.