It's true that nuts are high in calories, but they have extraordinary health benefits and are an important addition to your diet. Here's a simple fact: Eating a handful of nuts about five times a week will reduce your chances of having a heart attack by at least 15 percent and possibly as much as 51 percent. That's how powerful nuts are.
Nutritionists are now rediscovering these little nutritional goldmines. I can safely say that nuts are going to play an important role in boosting our health levels during this century.
It's a simple, if astounding, fact: people who eat nuts regularly can enjoy a significant reduction in their risk of developing coronary heart disease. They'll also reduce their risk of diabetes, cancer, and a host of other chronic illnesses.
While walnuts are the flagship nuts in this Superfoods category, all nuts and seeds are significant contributors to your good health. It makes sense that nuts and seeds are rich sources of a wide variety of nutrients because they are, after all, nature's nurseries. A nut or seed is basically a storage device that contains all the highly concentrated proteins, calories, and nutrients that a plant embryo will require to grow and flourish.
Walnuts are one of the few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids (called alpha linolenic acid, or ALA) along with canola oil, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, soybean oil, wheat germ, spinach, and purslane. They are rich in plant sterols-plant sterols can play a significant role in lowering serum cholesterol levels-a good source of fibre and protein, and they also provide magnesium, copper, folate, and vitamin E. Finally, they're the nut with the highest overall antioxidant activity.
To date, at least five large epidemiological studies have demonstrated that frequent consumption of nuts decreases the risk of coronary artery disease. Overall, people who eat nuts five or more times a week had a 15 to 51 percent reduction in coronary heart disease. And amazingly, even people who ate nuts just once a month had some reduction.
One of the main contributors to heart health in nuts, particularly in walnuts, is the omega-3 fatty acids. This particular component of fat works in various ways to help guarantee a healthy heart and circulatory system. Like aspirin, omega-3s "thin" the blood, helping it to flow freely and preventing clots from forming and adhering to the vessel walls. They also act as an anti-inflammatory, preventing the blood vessels from becoming inflamed-a condition that reduces blood flow. Walnuts are also rich in arginine, which is an essential amino acid. Arginine helps to keep the inside of the blood vessels smooth while it also promotes the flexibility of the vessels, thus increasing blood flow, reducing blood pressure, and thereby alleviating hypertension.
It's interesting to note that while the beneficial fatty acid composition of nuts would account for some of their positive effects on blood lipids, and thus their benefits to heart health, that doesn't explain the whole picture. In other words, in addition to the known health-promoting factors in nuts, including the omega-3s, the B vitamins, magnesium, polyphenols, potassium, and vitamin E, there are other elements which have yet to be identified, that work to lower cholesterol levels and promote heart health.
Researchers from Harvard studied more than 83,000 women and found that those who reported eating a handful of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter at least five times a week were more than 20 percent less likely to develop adult onset (type II) diabetes than those who rarely or never ate nuts. Type II diabetes develops when the body cannot properly use insulin. The women had been followed for up to sixteen years. The speculation is that the results apply to men as well as women. It's not only the "good" fat in the nuts that work on heart health. The fibre and magnesium in nuts also help maintain balanced insulin and glucose levels.
While the evidence supporting nuts' contribution to heart health and diabetes prevention is impressive, we must remember that nuts, like every other Superfood, don't just target a few isolated systems in our bodies. Indeed, they're categorized as Superfoods because of their amazingly powerful effect on our overall health.
Fibre: Nuts are a rich source of dietary fibre. In one study, a lo-gram-a day increase in dietary fibre resulted in a 19 percent decrease in coronary heart disease risk. One ounce of peanuts or mixed nuts provides about 21/2 grams of fibre-a good contribution to overall daily fibre consumption.
Vitamin E: Most of us don't get nearly enough vitamin E in our daily diets, and nuts and seeds are a rich source of this nutrient. One of the components of vitamin E-gamma Tocopherol-has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that found that a high dietary intake of vitamins C and E may lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. In another study, vitamin E consumption was linked to a 70 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's over a four-year period. Nuts are one of the richest dietary sources of vitamin E.
Folic Acid: This nutrient has gotten some attention lately because of its ability to prevent birth defects, particularly neural tube defects such as spinal bifida. Nuts are rich in folic acid, whose benefits go beyond its critical role in birth-defect prevention. Folic acid also lowers homocysteine (an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease) and helps prevent cancer and various causes of aging.
Copper: The copper in nuts is helpful in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol. It also contributes to healthy blood pressure and helps prevent abnormal glucose metabolism.
Magnesium: This important nutrient shows up in impressive amounts in nuts. Magnesium decreases heart arrhythmias and helps prevent hypertension. It's also critical for normal muscle relaxation, nerve impulse transmission, carbohydrate metabolism, and maintaining healthy tooth enamel. Low magnesium intake is also a risk factor for migraine headaches. Almost half of patients who suffer from migraines have magnesium levels that are below normal.
Reversatrol: This flavonoid, which is found abundantly in grape skins as well as peanut skins, has anticancer properties. It is also an anti-inflammatory and has been associated with helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Ellagic Acid: This polyphenol is found in high concentrations in nuts, particularly walnuts. Animal research studies have demonstrated that ellagic acid is beneficial in the prevention of cancer by affecting both the activation and detoxification of potential carcinogens.
Nutritionists are now rediscovering these little nutritional goldmines. I can safely say that nuts are going to play an important role in boosting our health levels during this century.
It's a simple, if astounding, fact: people who eat nuts regularly can enjoy a significant reduction in their risk of developing coronary heart disease. They'll also reduce their risk of diabetes, cancer, and a host of other chronic illnesses.
While walnuts are the flagship nuts in this Superfoods category, all nuts and seeds are significant contributors to your good health. It makes sense that nuts and seeds are rich sources of a wide variety of nutrients because they are, after all, nature's nurseries. A nut or seed is basically a storage device that contains all the highly concentrated proteins, calories, and nutrients that a plant embryo will require to grow and flourish.
Walnuts are one of the few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids (called alpha linolenic acid, or ALA) along with canola oil, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, soybean oil, wheat germ, spinach, and purslane. They are rich in plant sterols-plant sterols can play a significant role in lowering serum cholesterol levels-a good source of fibre and protein, and they also provide magnesium, copper, folate, and vitamin E. Finally, they're the nut with the highest overall antioxidant activity.
To date, at least five large epidemiological studies have demonstrated that frequent consumption of nuts decreases the risk of coronary artery disease. Overall, people who eat nuts five or more times a week had a 15 to 51 percent reduction in coronary heart disease. And amazingly, even people who ate nuts just once a month had some reduction.
One of the main contributors to heart health in nuts, particularly in walnuts, is the omega-3 fatty acids. This particular component of fat works in various ways to help guarantee a healthy heart and circulatory system. Like aspirin, omega-3s "thin" the blood, helping it to flow freely and preventing clots from forming and adhering to the vessel walls. They also act as an anti-inflammatory, preventing the blood vessels from becoming inflamed-a condition that reduces blood flow. Walnuts are also rich in arginine, which is an essential amino acid. Arginine helps to keep the inside of the blood vessels smooth while it also promotes the flexibility of the vessels, thus increasing blood flow, reducing blood pressure, and thereby alleviating hypertension.
It's interesting to note that while the beneficial fatty acid composition of nuts would account for some of their positive effects on blood lipids, and thus their benefits to heart health, that doesn't explain the whole picture. In other words, in addition to the known health-promoting factors in nuts, including the omega-3s, the B vitamins, magnesium, polyphenols, potassium, and vitamin E, there are other elements which have yet to be identified, that work to lower cholesterol levels and promote heart health.
Researchers from Harvard studied more than 83,000 women and found that those who reported eating a handful of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter at least five times a week were more than 20 percent less likely to develop adult onset (type II) diabetes than those who rarely or never ate nuts. Type II diabetes develops when the body cannot properly use insulin. The women had been followed for up to sixteen years. The speculation is that the results apply to men as well as women. It's not only the "good" fat in the nuts that work on heart health. The fibre and magnesium in nuts also help maintain balanced insulin and glucose levels.
While the evidence supporting nuts' contribution to heart health and diabetes prevention is impressive, we must remember that nuts, like every other Superfood, don't just target a few isolated systems in our bodies. Indeed, they're categorized as Superfoods because of their amazingly powerful effect on our overall health.
Fibre: Nuts are a rich source of dietary fibre. In one study, a lo-gram-a day increase in dietary fibre resulted in a 19 percent decrease in coronary heart disease risk. One ounce of peanuts or mixed nuts provides about 21/2 grams of fibre-a good contribution to overall daily fibre consumption.
Vitamin E: Most of us don't get nearly enough vitamin E in our daily diets, and nuts and seeds are a rich source of this nutrient. One of the components of vitamin E-gamma Tocopherol-has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that found that a high dietary intake of vitamins C and E may lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. In another study, vitamin E consumption was linked to a 70 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's over a four-year period. Nuts are one of the richest dietary sources of vitamin E.
Folic Acid: This nutrient has gotten some attention lately because of its ability to prevent birth defects, particularly neural tube defects such as spinal bifida. Nuts are rich in folic acid, whose benefits go beyond its critical role in birth-defect prevention. Folic acid also lowers homocysteine (an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease) and helps prevent cancer and various causes of aging.
Copper: The copper in nuts is helpful in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol. It also contributes to healthy blood pressure and helps prevent abnormal glucose metabolism.
Magnesium: This important nutrient shows up in impressive amounts in nuts. Magnesium decreases heart arrhythmias and helps prevent hypertension. It's also critical for normal muscle relaxation, nerve impulse transmission, carbohydrate metabolism, and maintaining healthy tooth enamel. Low magnesium intake is also a risk factor for migraine headaches. Almost half of patients who suffer from migraines have magnesium levels that are below normal.
Reversatrol: This flavonoid, which is found abundantly in grape skins as well as peanut skins, has anticancer properties. It is also an anti-inflammatory and has been associated with helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Ellagic Acid: This polyphenol is found in high concentrations in nuts, particularly walnuts. Animal research studies have demonstrated that ellagic acid is beneficial in the prevention of cancer by affecting both the activation and detoxification of potential carcinogens.
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