Nuts for young girls

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

A useful study was just published in the journal Cancer Causes & Control that examines the effect of nut consumption by young girls on breast disease and breast cancer.

“We examined the association between adolescent fiber intake and proliferative BBD [benign breast disease], a marker of increased breast cancer risk, in the Nurses’ Health Study II.”

They gathered data on diet and the emergence of breast disease confirmed by pathology for 29,480 females. A definite pattern emerged:

“Women in the highest quintile of adolescent fiber intake had a 25% lower risk of proliferative BBD… High school intake of nuts was also related to significantly reduced BBD risk. Women consuming ≥2 servings of nuts/week had a 36% lower risk…than women consuming <1 serving/month.”

Taking into consideration other research I think we have to accept the likelihood that the beneficial fat in nuts confers some of the benefit. This adds to the weight of evidence in favor of nuts in a wholesome and preventative diet:

“These findings support the hypothesis that dietary intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence influences subsequent risk of breast disease and may suggest a viable means for breast cancer prevention.”

More reasons to go nuts for heart disease

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

A paper just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzes the evidence from 25 intervention trials on the effect of eating nuts on blood lipid levels and heart disease. The authors begin by noting:

“Epidemiological studies have consistently associated nut consumption with reduced risk for coronary heart disease…The objectives of this study were to estimate the effects of nut consumption on blood lipid levels and to examine whether different factors modify the effects.”

They pooled the data from 25 trials in 7 countries for cholesterol, LDL, ratio of LDL to HDL, and triglycerides. Improvements were documented in all of these factors. The data also showed that:

“The effects of nut consumption were dose related, and different types of nuts had similar effects on blood lipid levels…the lipid-lowering effects of nut consumption were greatest among subjects with high baseline LDL-C and with low body mass index and among those consuming Western diets.”

In other words, eating more nuts improved the lipid-lowering effect. Hence their conclusion:

“Nut consumption improves blood lipid levels in a dose-related manner, particularly among subjects with higher LDL-C or with lower BMI.”

Do nuts really help with diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

The authors of this paper published in the British Journal of Nutrition begin by observing…

“The ability of nuts to improve the blood lipid profile and reduce the risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) is now well established. The interest that health effects of nuts have gained recently has brought the possible benefits of consuming nuts, such as improvement in the conditions of the metabolic syndrome, and their potential to prevent and control diabetes into focus.”

They report an important observation:

“Acute feeding studies indicate that nuts have minimal effects on rising postprandial blood glucose levels when eaten alone, and diminish the postprandial glycaemic response when consumed with high-glycaemic index carbohydrate foods in both normoglycaemic and type 2 diabetic individuals.”

This means that whether your blood sugar is still OK or has already gone too high, if you consume nuts with a meal or snack—even if it is, at least to a degree, more glycemic than desirable—the nuts will prevent your blood sugar from spiking too high and overstimulating the release of insulin. And eating nuts alone has a trivial effect on raising blood sugar.

The authors further note…

“Nuts have a healthy nutritional profile, high in MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids), are a good source of vegetable protein and are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals….early data indicate that the inclusion of nuts in the diets of individuals with diabetes and the metabolic syndrome is warranted, in view of their potential to reduce CHD risk.”

However, don’t forget that tree nuts are among the more common food allergens.