Go Nuts the Right Way
It’s time to get a little nutty everyday. The Chicago Tribune recently reported that a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine says eating a handful of nuts a day for a year may help undo the risk factors for heart disease, but it must be done while eating a Mediterranean diet which is rich in fruit, vegetables and fish.
The Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better to decrease metabolic syndrome, a combination of health risks that includes high blood pressure and abdominal obesity, than increasing olive oil in a Mediterranean diet, which overall worked better than those people who ate a low-fat diet did.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the study of 1,2000 people from the ages of 55 to 80 were randomly assigned one of three diets. The first group ate a low-fat diet, the second group ate a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts, and the third group ate a Mediterranean diet and added extra olive oil to their diet.
The people who improved the most were told to eat about three whole walnuts, seven or eight whole hazelnuts and seven or eight whole almonds. They didn’t lose weight on average, but more of them succeeded in reducing belly fat and improving their cholesterol and blood pressure. Researchers say nuts help people feel full while also increasing their body’s ability to burn fat.
According to the American Heart Association, 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome. Although experts say that Americans should be cautioned since adding nuts to a Western diet, or a diet filled with too many calories and junk food, could lead to weight gain and more risks.
