Eating a daily serving of nuts daily might prevent weight gain and provide other cardiovascular benefits, according to two separate preliminary studies that were presented last November at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018 in Chicago. In one study, researchers analyzed the influence of eating nuts and peanuts on long-term body weight in U.S. men and women. In the other study, researchers examined whether eating Brazil nuts could increases a sense of fullness and improve glucose and insulin responses.

In the analysis examining the impact nuts have on weight, researchers from the nutrition department of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, followed 126,190 male and female health professionals who were free of chronic disease at the start of the study. They found that eating one 1-ounce serving or two tablespoons of any type of nuts or peanuts in place of one serving of red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts, or potato chips was associated with a lower risk of long-term weight gain and obesity.

In the Brazil nut study, researchers from San Diego State University in San Diego, California, recruited 22 healthy adults (20 women and 2 men) at least 20 years of age with a mean body mass index of 22.3, who were instructed to consume either 36 grams of pretzels or 20 grams of Brazil nuts (about five nuts) in addition to their usual diet. The Brazil nuts and pretzels had approximately the same amount of calories and sodium. Participants ate either the nuts or the pretzels in two trials with a washout period of at least 48 hours to prevent carryover effects. While both the Brazil nuts and pretzels significantly increased a sense of fullness and reduced feelings
of hunger among all the study participants,the group that ate the Brazil nuts reported a greater sense of fullness. The researchers reported that eating Brazil nuts stabilized postprandial (after eating) blood glucose and insulin levels, which might be beneficial in preventing diabetes and weight gain for heart attacks and strokes.

SOURCE: American Heart Association site. Nuts for nuts? Daily serving may help control

weight and benefit health. 5 Nov 2018. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/