A study
recently published in the online version of the European Journal of Nutrition
has found that people who include nuts in their diet are more likely to reduce
weight gain and lower the risk of overweight and obesity.
The findings
came to light after researchers at Loma Linda University School of Public
Health and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluated
diet and lifestyle data from more than 373,000 individuals from 10 European
countries between the ages of 25 and 70.
Senior
investigator Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Nutrition,
Lifestyle and Disease Prevention at LLUSPH, said that many people have
historically assumed that nuts -- an energy-dense, high-fat food -- are not a good
choice for individuals who want to lose weight. The findings, however,
contradict that assumption.
In their
five-year study, Sabaté and junior investigator Heinz Freisling, PhD, a
nutritional epidemiologist with the Nutritional Methodology and Biostatistics
group at IARC headquarters in Lyons, France, found that participants gained a
mean average of 2.1 kilograms during the five-year period of the study.
However, participants who ate the most nuts not only had less weight gain than
their nut-abstaining peers, but also enjoyed a 5 percent lower risk of becoming
overweight or obese.
"To me,
this confirms that nuts are not an obesogenic food," Sabaté said.
The pair of
researchers has evaluated nuts in the past and found that they are positively
associated with a variety of health benefits, including healthy aging and
memory function in seniors. This study, however, represents the first time they
have investigated the relationship between nuts and weight on a large scale.
Peanuts, which are technically a ground nut, were included in the study along
with almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts, which are classified as tree
nuts.
The team
analyzed information on the dietary practices and body mass indexes of 373,293
participants, working with data gathered by the European Prospective
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Although Sabaté and Freisling
extracted and analyzed the data and reported the findings, they were joined by
35 other research scientists from 12 European countries and Malaysia who reviewed
the paper ahead of publication.
Sabaté
recommends that people eat nuts more often, pointing out that they offer
energy, good fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
"Eat
nuts during your meal," he suggested. "Put them at the center of your
plate to replace animal products. They're very satiating."
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Source:
Materials
provided by Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center. Note:
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