A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that frequent nut consumption had an inverse relationship with cause-specific mortality.  In other words, independent of other predictors of mortality, people who ate more nuts had an overall greater life expectancy.  This study used data from 76,464 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, which took place between 1980 and 2010, and 42,498 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which took place between 1986 and 2010.

Increased nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the association between nut consumption and mortality remains unclear.  Thus, the researchers designed this study to analyze the relationship between the two.  Eating nuts was linked to a healthier lifestyle – including being less likely to smoke or be overweight and more likely to exercise.

People eating nuts once a week were 11 percent less likely to have died during the study than those who never ate nuts.  Up to four portions was linked to a 13% reduction in deaths and a daily handful of nuts cut the death rate during the study by 20%.  The most obvious benefit of nut consumption was the impact on heart health, which is well publicized as a benefit of eating nuts.  In fact, there was a potential reduction of 29% in deaths from heart disease.  Additionally, there was also a significant reduction of 11% in the risk of dying from cancer, though the research does not state an impact on getting on cancer.

In a discussion of the current study, BBC News Health explains that the researchers, a U.S.-based team, said nut eaters were likely to also have healthy lifestyles, but the nuts themselves were also contributing to their longer lifespan.  However, the British Heart Foundation was not entirely convinced, stating that more research was needed to prove the link.  Researchers may build on this study to develop future research designs.

CNN notes that the scientists say that the findings don’t imply any cause and effect relationship between nuts and later death, but the correlation is worth investigating further.  Nuts are part of the balanced diet that public health officials recently outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but the government group advised that adults eat about five to six ounce of protein a day.  Fortunately, nuts are included in the protein category of the party.