A diet packed with micro and macro nutrients could help you go a long way in achieving a healthy mind and body. Apart from fruits and veggies, even nuts could be beneficial as they are brimming with health benefiting properties. A new study has emphasised on the importance of including nuts in diet and examined their consumption with association between risk of cardiovascular disease and death in the Iranian population. According to a study, presented at the ESC Congress 2019, eating nuts two or more times per week may reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by almost 17 percent.
"Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fat and contain little saturated fat," said study author Noushin Mohammadifard from Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Iran.
"They also have protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre, phytosterol, and polyphenols which benefit heart health. European and US studies have related nuts with cardiovascular protection but there is limited evidence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region," Mohammadifard said.
The study was conducted on 5,432 adults who were randomly selected from urban and rural areas. The participants of the study aged 35 and older with no history of cardiovascular disease. Until 2013, the participants were interviewed every two years for the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death. As per the findings of the study, 751 cardiovascular events (594 coronary heart disease and 157 stroke), 179 cardiovascular deaths and 458 all-cause deaths were reported during a median 12-year follow-up.
Via a validated food frequency questionnaire, the intake of nuts including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and seeds was assessed in 2001.
The connection was robust even after adjusting for factors that could influence the relationship such as age, sex, education, smoking and physical activity, said the study.