Daily consumption of nuts and peanuts linked to lower mortality rates 
 
 11 June 2015 
 
 Nuts and peanuts, but not peanut butter, may protect against death from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and other major causes, new study finds 
 
 
 
 A paper published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology confirms a link between peanut and nut intake and lower mortality rates, but finds no protective effect for peanut butter. Men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who don't consume nuts or peanuts. The reduction in mortality was strongest for respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease and diabetes, followed by cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The effects are equal in men and women. Peanuts show at least as strong reductions in mortality as tree nuts, but peanut butter is not associated with mortality, researchers from Maastricht University (the Netherlands) found. 
 
 
 
 This study was carried out within the Netherlands Cohort Study, a study running since 1986 among over 120,000 Dutch men and women 55-69 year old. Nut consumption was assessed by asking about portion size and frequency of intake of peanuts, other nuts (tree nuts) and peanut butter. The researchers from Maastricht University analyzed the relationship with overall and cause-specific mortality since 1986. 
 
 
 
 The associations between nuts and peanuts intake and cardiovascular death confirm earlier results from American and Asian studies that were often focused on cardiovascular diseases. However, in this new study, it was found that mortality due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases was also lowered among users of peanuts and nuts. Project leader and epidemiologist Professor Piet van den Brandt commented: “It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day (half a handful). A higher intake was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk. This was also supported by a meta-analysis of previously published studies together with the Netherlands Cohort Study, in which cancer and respiratory mortality showed this same dose-response pattern.” 
 
 
 
 Peanuts and tree nuts both contain various compounds such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, various vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds, that possibly contribute to the lower death rates. In contrast to peanuts, no association was found between peanut butter intake and mortality risk. However, besides peanuts, peanut butter contains also added components like salt and vegetable oils. In the past, it has been shown that peanut butter contains trans fatty acids. The composition of peanut butter is therefore different from peanuts. The adverse health effects of salt and trans fatty acids could inhibit the protective effects of peanuts. ||||| Abstract 
 
 Background: Nut intake has been associated with lower mortality, but few studies have investigated causes of death other than cardiovascular disease, and dose-response relationships remain unclear. 
 
 Methods: We investigated the relationship of nut (tree nut, peanut) and peanut butter intake with overall and cause-specific mortality. In the Netherlands Cohort Study, 120 852 men and women aged 55–69 years provided information on dietary and lifestyle habits in 1986. Mortality follow-up until 1996 consisted of linkage to Statistics Netherlands. Multivariate case-cohort analyses were based on 8823 deaths and 3202 subcohort members with complete data on nuts and potential confounders. We also conducted meta-analyses of our results with those published from other cohort studies. 
 
 Results: Total nut intake was related to lower overall and cause-specific mortality (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurodegenerative diseases, other causes) in men and women. When comparing those consuming 0.1−<5, 5−<10 and 10+ g nuts/day with non-consumers, multivariable hazard ratios for total mortality were 0.88, 0.74 and 0.77 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.66–0.89], respectively (P trend = 0.003). Cause-specific hazard ratios comparing 10+ vs 0 g/day varied from 0.56 for neurodegenerative to 0.83 for cardiovascular disease mortality. Restricted cubic splines showed nonlinear dose-response relationships with mortality. Peanuts and tree nuts were inversely related to mortality, whereas peanut butter was not. In meta-analyses, summary hazard ratios for highest vs lowest nut consumption were 0.85 for cancer, and 0.71 for respiratory mortality. 
 
 Conclusions: Nut intake was related to lower overall and cause-specific mortality, with evidence for nonlinear dose-response relationships. Peanut butter was not related to mortality. ||||| Well, wouldn’t ya know. The day I finally do a Facebook post on a press release I’ve received at least 10 times — that walnuts are good for you! — I take a peek at the NYTimes Well blog, and there’s a whole piece on nuts. 
 
 I used to hesitate about eating nuts and peanuts (which are legumes, not nuts). They were just so fattening; at that point in my life, food was only measured in calories. Then I began loosening up a bit on caloric neuroses, instead focusing more on nutrition and overall health benefits. I eat walnuts and almonds every day, plus probably more than my allotted share of peanut butter. 
 
 Anyway…enough about me. Here’s some more info on the benefits of nuts. First, they help fight heart disease. 
 
 A series of studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine (and including the oft-quoted Nurses’ Health Study of 76,464 women and the not-as-oft quoted Health Professionals Follow-Up Study of 42,498 men) found that the more nuts people eat, the less likely they are to die at any given age — especially of those top killers, heart disease and stroke. This, by the way, is true of any socio-economic group; including people with not-so-healthy habits or lifestyles. 
 
 More specifically, says Today’s Dietitian.com those who ate more than one ounce of nuts per day not only had a lower mortality risk than those whose consumption was on a weekly basis; they also were less likely to be obese. 
 
 We’ve all heard about how good the Mediterranean Diet is, right? Well, those in a clinical trial conducted in Spain who added extra nuts to theirs had lower death rates. 
 
 The California Walnut Commission‘s email referenced a study from the University of California Davis, involving short-term benefits of walnut consumption among postmenopausal women with high cholesterol. Those who ate 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day saw improved vascular function, due to the effects of the walnut-derived fatty acids. 
 
 OK, the next-to-last-word in that previous sentence, which may drive people — as it did me for awhile — away from nuts. Sure, they have a decent amount of calories. But really, 185 calories for 14 walnut halves isn’t bad at all. They have fiber, protein and good fat, to name but a few attributes. Plus they, like other nuts and peanut butter, keep your hunger at bay. It’s that protein thing, ya know. 
 
 But only 4 in 10 American adults eat nuts every day — more women than men, which surprised me – according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, only 12 percent of women and 14 percent of men eat the required amount to strengthen cardiovascular health. 
 
 So what to do? Make a point of adding them — about 1.5 ounces total — to your daily diet. But remember, chocolate-covered don’t count.
– Previous studies have documented that scarfing down peanuts or nuts every day can lead to better cardiovascular health. But now research is suggesting that eating peanuts and tree nuts like almonds, cashews, and walnuts are linked to lower mortality rates, per a Maastricht University press release. The study, published online today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, found that both men and women who ate at least 10 grams of peanuts or nuts daily saw a reduced risk of dying from not only heart disease, but also from respiratory illnesses, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. The only disappointing result, expressed in the saddest sentence you may read all week: "[The study] finds no protective effect for peanut butter." The press release notes that the health benefits of peanuts and nuts are probably due to what they're harboring inside their shells: an amalgam of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the so-called "good" fats), fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and other compounds. And it's not like you have to go overboard in your nut-eating habits: Researchers in the Maastricht University study found that eating more than an average 15 grams per day—or half a handful—didn't confer any lower mortality risk. So what gives with peanut butter, which ostensibly contains those same ingredients? Researchers speculate it's all the other stuff peanut butter has added, such as salt and vegetable oils, that may prevent the tasty spread from being more healthful. (Peanut butter may be able to help in the fight against Alzheimer's.)