If you're looking for a healthy snack, nuts might become your good friend!
Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fat. They also contain protein, minerals, vitamins, fiber, phytosterols, and polyphenols which can benefit your heart health.
At ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology, the latest study shows that having nuts at least twice a week is associated with a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
About the study
Previous studies have related nuts with cardiovascular protection but there is limited evidence. For this study, the researchers studied 5,432 adults aged 35 and older with no history of cardiovascular disease randomly in the Iranian population, and examined the association between nut consumption and their risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
It turned out that eating nuts two or more times per week could bring people 17% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to consuming nuts once every two weeks.
This relationship between nuts and heart health was still there even after adjusting for other factors that could influence the relationship such as age, education, sex, smoking, and physical activity.
30 grams of unsalted nuts per day is recommended
According to the ESC guidelines, 30 grams of unsalted nuts per day are needed in a healthy diet, though it is still worth noticing that the energy density of nuts is high, which means you cannot take too much.
These nuts include unsalted walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and seeds.
"Raw fresh nuts are the healthiest," added the study author Dr. Noushin Mohammadifard. "Nuts should be fresh because unsaturated fats can become oxidized in stale nuts, making them harmful. You can tell if nuts are rancid by their paint-like smell and bitter or sour taste."
