Arco Nut & Candy: Nuts & Nutrition

There's Good News for Nut Lovers!

For a long time, we've known how nutritious nuts are. Nuts are rich in proteins, phosphorus, iron, thiamin, vitamin E, magnesium, and copper. Now, medical research has found that eating nuts also lowers cholesterol!

Recent independent studies have demonstrated that nut consumption has a protective effect on coronary heart disease. In other words, increasing one's nut intake decreases coronary risk.

Compared to those who ate nuts less than once a week, those who ate nuts one to four times a week had a 27% reduced risk of coronary heart disease death, according to the Adventist Health Study. That figure rose to 38% for those consuming nuts more that four times per week, and jumped to 48% with an intake of five or more times a week.

How do nuts prevent coronary heart disease? Well, in a nutshell, one factor is the well-documented effect of dietary fatty acids on serum cholesterol. Plus, the total fat contents of nuts is high, ranging from 48% to 74 % by weight. Nut fat is largely unsaturated. Most nuts are high in oleic acid (monounsaturated), and there are significant amounts of linoleic and linolenic acids in walnuts particularly. There is a beneficial effect on serum lipids with a high intake of momounsaturated fatty acids and, of course, the cholesterol lowering effect of polyunsaturated fats is a well known fact. In addition, nuts contain more vitamin E than any other source except vegetable oils.

According to the Iowa Women's Study, which focused on 34,000 women; over the course of a five year period coronary death was inversely associated with nut intake. The more often nuts were consumed each week, the less risk of coronary heart disease. Those with the highest nut intake had 40% less risk of coronary heart disease than those who never ate nuts.

Nuts have sometimes received a bad rap because of their high fat content (about two-thirds fat by weight). Research now shows that nuts are simply fat droplets with two thirds high fat and that precious other third supplies the good stuff; proteins, micronutrients, and vitamins. This precious third is the part which provides nuts with their cholesterol fighting power!

Lisa Ayaz is a leading authority on nut nutrition and owner of Arco Nut & Candy