Nuts Prevent heart Attact and Cancer

People who eat nuts regularly were less likely to die from heart disease or cancer , were actually less likely to die from any disease- those not consumed during a 30-year study conducted by Harvard University.

Nuts have been long linked with heart health, and is the largest study conducted to see if your intake has effects on longevity.

The researchers followed 119,000 men and women and found that those who ate nuts most days were 20 % less likely to die from disease during the study period than those who never consumed .The risk of dying from heart disease dropped 29 % and death from cancer fell 11% among those who ate nuts daily concerning people who never consumed.

Benefits were also in peanuts , as well as pistachios, almonds, walnuts and other nuts. The researchers did not analyze the preparation of nuts : fried , salted , raw or roasted .An additional benefit : Those who consumed nuts remained thinner.

"There is a general perception that if you eat more nuts will get fat , our results show the opposite," said Dr. Ying Bao , of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston , affiliated with Harvard.

She led the study , which was published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.Researchers do not know the exact cause why nuts can boost health. It may be that their unsaturated fatty acids, minerals and other nutrients decrease inflammation and reduce cholesterol and other problems, as shown by previous studies.

Observational studies like this can not prove cause and effect, only indicate a connection. Research on diets is especially complicated because it can be difficult to distinguish the effects of any particular food.

People who eat more nuts can be consumed in salads , for example, and some of the benefits might come from the leaves green , said Dr. Robert Eckel , a cardiologist at the University of Colorado and president of the American Heart Association.

Many previous studies linking nut consumption with reduced risk of heart disease , diabetes , colon cancer and other conditions.

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration said a handful of nuts a day as part of a diet low in fat may reduce the risk of heart disease. Heart Association recommends four servings of non-fried nuts without salt per week , and warns not to consume too many because they are high in calories.