An Amazing Reason To Celebrate National Almond Day
Craving crunch? Crack open a bag of almonds for 20 grams of protein in one handful. (Photo: Stocksy/Kristin Duvall)
Monday is National Almond Day (yes, there is such a thing), and two new studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition give plenty of reason to celebrate.
In the first study, researchers found that people who eat five or more 1-ounce servings of nuts a week have a 26 percent lower risk of dying over a 10-year period, compared with people who eat fewer than one serving of nuts each month. And even eating one handful of nuts each week lowers risk of death by 15 percent, according to the study.
The findings are based on data from more than 20,000 generally healthy male doctors, who had an average age of 67 at the start of the study. They answered questionnaires on their lifestyle habits and how frequently they ate an ounce of nuts (about one handful, or a small packet) over the past year. (The way the questionnaire was worded, subjects could have considered the peanut — technically a legume — a type of nut.)
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Frequent nut-eaters had healthier lifestyles — they exercised more frequently, ate more fruits and vegetables, and were less likely to have smoked — but those factors didn’t explain the study’s results, the researchers explain. “When we compared people with the same age, similar weight, and similar lifestyle habits, the risk of dying among people who consumed nuts was lower than the risk of death among similar people that did not consume nuts,” senior study author Luc Djousse, MD, MPS, DSc, a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, tells Yahoo Health.
The main ways nuts may prevent early death is by lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels, Djousse says. Their high magnesium levels and low sodium content may be responsible for lowering blood pressure. And their high fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3s could explain the effects on cholesterol, the study explains.
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Research has also shown that nuts decrease inflammation, which is linked to heart health, and improve insulin sensitivity, which may lower the risk for Type 2 diabetes.
The second study, which was actually a review of 15 previous studies involving approximately 355,000 participants, confirms that eating nuts has a powerful influence on health — including a 27 percent reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. “Daily nut consumption has been associated with decreased risk of mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer,” review author Giuseppe Grosso, MD, a researcher at the University of Catania in Italy, tells Yahoo Health. “Nevertheless, all studies agreed that a concomitant healthy lifestyle significantly contributed to decrease the risk of death.”
Grosso says that the antioxidants in nuts could prevent genetic damage, which may contribute to the lower risk for cancer in regular nut-eaters. But both Grosso and Djousse explain that nuts’ various beneficial components may work together to improve health.
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If you’re watching your weight, however, don’t go completely nuts with the calorie-rich snack. “Consumption of nuts in moderation is key for this group,” Djousse says. His advice: If you’re adding nuts into your diet, be aware of how many calories they contain, and omit other foods as necessary.
And because it’s easy to chow down on several servings without realizing it when you’re eating out of the bag, registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield recommends packing small individual containers with single servings for snacks. “Different nuts have different serving sizes,” she adds. “Pistachios have 49 kernels per serving (the most of any nut) and the shells are a visual reminder of how much you have eaten.”
And be sure to look for lightly salted varieties, Scritchfield says. If you crave a salty snack, peanuts or pistachios in the shell are a good bet. “They will taste salty but you don’t consume as much because of the salt on the shell you did not eat,” she says.
As for which type of nut is best? Don’t worry about it too much, experts say. Research doesn’t point to one particular nut as healthier than any of the others. “Pick your favorites,” Scritchfield says. For example, almonds and pistachios are highest in protein and fiber and low in saturated fat, she says. Hazelnuts, almonds, and pecans are richest in flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) and pistachios have the most isoflavones (another variety of antioxidant), Grosso adds.
In honor of National Almond Day, try this recipe for sweet and savory toasted almonds from Scritchfield: Combine 1 teaspoon brown sugar with 1 teaspoon water and 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, paprika, and cumin. Coat 1 cup of almonds evenly with the mixture; bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fragrant. Enjoy!
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