Eating nuts, often recommended as part of a
healthy diet, may, in addition have a more beneficial effect by reducing
the risks of coronary heart disease.
Nuts are an important part of the Mediterranean
diet, recognised to be healthy due to the low mortality rates from
coronary heart disease in Mediterranean populations.
Like food grains, nuts are concentrated sources
of food energy and micro-nutrients. A study reported in the BMJ (1)
followed 84, 409 nurses for 14 years and another study on Seventh Day
Adventists (2) reported that eating a high consumption of nuts reduced the
coronary risk.
Nuts are high in fat, but most of the fatty acids
are unsaturated which means they have a beneficial effect on serum lipids.
Other protective constituents include vegetable protein, magnesium,
vitamin E, fibre and potassium.
Although further studies are necessary into the
nutritional benefits of eating nuts, they appear a likely constituent of a
healthy diet, especially where there is evidence of a raised cholesterol
or high blood pressure.
