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Nuts About the Med

Enriching a Mediterranean-type diet with 30g a day of mixed nuts could be even more beneficial in beating heart disease than following a Mediterranean diet alone, say Spanish authors of a study that involved more than a thousand people between the ages of 55 and 80.
 
Everyone who took part was known to already be at a high risk of developing heart problems. They were divided into three groups: one to follow a low-fat diet; a second to eat a typical Mediterranean diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, with plenty of cereals, fish and a little red wine – plus, in this case, a litre of olive oil a week; and the third to eat much the same foods, but with less olive oil, and a serving of mixed nuts each day.
 
Achieving just 2% difference, the low-fat diet was the least effective in reducing “metabolic syndrome” – a set of factors that includes high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high blood glucose and obesity and which together are known to heighten a person’s chances of developing heart disease as well as diabetes. The second group’s results were lowered by nearly 7%, while those eating the Mediterranean diet and mixed nuts reduced their metabolic syndrome by a whopping 14%. 

Nuts may be high in fat, but they’re also rich in nutrients. Cashews are a great natural source of zinc, which supports your immune system, pistachios can help to keep your complexion clear and Brazil nuts are packed with selenium, which may be helpful in protecting your body against some types of cancer. 
 
The Mediterranean diet also appears to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and research is on-going to establish its role in fighting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases.