Nuts and peanuts are full of 'good' fats
DOCTOR K: I love peanuts, but I try to avoid them, and other nuts, because they are high in fat. But I recently heard that eating nuts might help you live longer. What is your advice regarding nuts?
DEAR READER: Like you, I love nuts — especially almonds. To be candid, dear readers, Doctor K lacks discipline when it comes to eating nuts. Perhaps it's one of my redeeming vices. However, I've found a solution to my discipline problem, which I'll soon reveal. It's time to put nuts back on your menu. Peanuts are legumes and not officially "nuts." That honor falls to tree nuts like almonds, pecans and walnuts. But all of these types of nuts contain a rich store of vitamins and minerals.
I, too, avoided nuts for years. But about 15 years ago, the scientific studies began to show that nuts (in moderation) are healthy foods. Since then, I've been snacking on nuts regularly. Regarding your concern about the fat content of nuts: Yes, nuts are high in fat and calories. And they are also good for you. As I've said before, there are "good" fats and "bad" fats. Nuts mainly have good fats, in the form of mono- and polyunsaturated fats. And nuts have relatively few "bad" fats — artery-clogging saturated and trans fats. A study published recently in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who ate nuts were more likely to live longer than people who didn't. The study looked at nut and peanut consumption in two large groups of people spanning geographic, racial, ethnic and income boundaries:
• 72,000 Americans, ages 40 to 79, living in the Southern United States. Most lived on low incomes, and two-thirds were African-American.
• 135,000 men and women in Shanghai, China, ages 40 to 74.
The researchers used surveys to tally nut and peanut consumption. They followed the groups for several years and counted how many participants died and from what causes. In both groups, people who regularly ate peanuts and other nuts were substantially less likely to have died of any cause — particularly heart disease — over the study period than those who rarely ate nuts. This was true even when the researchers accounted for risk factors such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
An earlier study done at Harvard showed that nuts and peanut butter may help to prevent Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that consuming 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or 1 ounce of peanuts or other nuts, five or more times a week, was associated with a more than 20 percent reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Because nuts are high in calories, make your portion sizes small to keep your waistline in check. How did I solve my discipline problem when it came to nuts? A popular grocery store chain sells nuts in small cellophane packages. I have a package almost every mid-afternoon. And, yes, most of the time, I stop at just one package. Not rational, but it works for me.
Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115.