Do Nuts Offer Health Benefits? A Report from The Adventist Health Study 2
photo from Freepik
by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Cardiovascular disease (a group of diseases, such as stroke and heart failure) affecting the heart and blood vessels) and heart disease are the main causes of death worldwide. Thus, health care professionals are interested in finding ways to reduce the risk of developing and of dying from these diseases. Diet is one area of active investigation and nuts are a food group of interest. More than ten years ago, researchers estimated that eating an ounce of nuts daily could reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by 4-6 percent (1). More recently, researchers at Loma Linda University examined the effect of eating nuts on the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or heart disease (2).
What is the study?
The study subjects were 80,529 Seventh-day Adventists living in the United States and Canada who participated in a large, long-term study called The Adventist Health Study-2. The study subjects completed questionnaires at the start of the study that asked, among other questions, how often they ate nuts. Nuts were separated into tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.) and peanuts. Peanuts are botanically classified as legumes, so they were examined separately. The subjects were observed for an average of 11 years and deaths from cardiovascular disease and heart disease were recorded.
What did this study find?
At the end of the study period, more than 4,200 deaths due to cardiovascular disease and heart disease had occurred. Overall, eating nuts, was significantly associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and heart disease. Statistical adjustments were made for age, sex, race, and other factors. If we compare someone in the 90th percentile of nut intake (eating a little less than an ounce of nuts daily) and someone in the 10th percentile of nut intake (eating no or almost no nuts), the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is 14% lower and of death from heart disease is 19% lower. These results are based on total nut consumption, including tree nuts and peanuts and peanut butter. If only tree nuts are examined, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is 17% lower with a higher consumption of tree nuts and the risk of dying from heart disease is 27% lower with a higher consumption of tree nuts (2).
Statistical techniques were used to model what would be likely to happen if a 1-ounce serving of total nuts or tree nuts replaced a serving of other foods. When a serving of nuts regularly replaced a 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 41% lower for total nuts and the risk of death from heart disease was 35% lower. Using a serving of tree nuts to replace a serving of processed meat, or eggs, or cheese, or fried potatoes, was associated with a 21%-26% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and 20%-30% lower risk of dying from heart disease (2).
These results suggest that choosing more nuts, including tree nuts and peanuts, may be a way to reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or heart disease.
References:
- Del Gobbo LC, Falk MC, Feldman R, Lewis K, Mozaffarian D. 2015. Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 102:1347-56.
- Suprono MS, Shavlik DJ, Butler FM, et al. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease mortality: The Adventist Health Study 2. J Nutr. 2025;155:4465-4475.
To read about ways to add more nuts to your meals see:
Celebrating Peanut Butter on National Peanut Day
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