Nuts and weight loss

 It is known that US adults add on average  1 lb weight every year. Finding foods to snack on that make us less hungry and therefore don’t gain weight is always a blessing. Rich in protein and dietary fiber, nuts are known to reduce appetite and increase satiety. 

The recent study of  51 529 male health professionals (aged 40-75), and 121 700 nurses (aged 35-55) showed that substituting processed meats, french fries, and potato chips with 0.5 servings/day of nuts may be an easy strategy to prevent weight gain, decrease appetite and lose weight. 

The high content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytosterols also provides health benefits for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes prevention.  An international study of 50 045 participants aged 40 and older showed evidence for an inverse association between nut consumption and mortality in a developing country, where nut consumption does not track with a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, eating approximately one handful daily of nuts over the long term may not only prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes but also to live longer. Further work is needed to establish the underlying mechanisms responsible for this association