Miracle Food? Scientists Find That Eating Nuts Reduces Risk Of Death From Any Cause

We always knew that nuts are good for us (almonds alone are a superfood packed with magnesium, fiber, and calcium), but now science has just proved that they could be lifesaving. Scientists have discovered that eating a modest amount of nuts every day could seriously reduce our risk of mortality in just about every category.

In a study conducted at Maastricht University Medical Center and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that consumption of tree nuts and peanuts was related to lower mortality rates in direct or indirect relation to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases. Sadly, peanut butter was shown to have no effect because of the added oils and sugar.

Scientists looked at data over the course of 30 years from 120,000 Dutch people who participated in the study and found that overall, nut-lovers had a 23 percent reduction in mortality risk. For some diseases, like Alzheimer's, the rate was even higher (45 percent).

"It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day," study author Professor Piet van den Brandt told Forbes. "A higher intake was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk, however."