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TUESDAY, Sept. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Increasing daily consumption of nuts is associated with less long-term weight gain and a lower risk for obesity in adults, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Xiaoran Liu, Ph.D., from the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues evaluated the association between changes in total consumption of nuts and long-term weight change using data from three independent cohort studies: 27,521 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; 61,680 women from the Nurses’ Health Study; and 55,684 younger women from the Nurses’ Health Study II.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that average weight gain across the three cohorts was 0.32 kg each year. Increases in nut consumption (per 0.5 servings\/day) were significantly associated with less weight gain per four-year interval, including total nuts, walnuts, other tree nuts, and peanuts. Similarly, increasing intake of total nuts, walnuts, and other tree nuts by 0.5 servings\/day was associated with a lower risk for obesity (adjusted relative risks, 0.97, 0.85, 0.89, respectively). Substituting 0.5 servings\/day of nuts for red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts, or potato chips was also associated with less weight gain.<\/p>\n
“Incorporating nuts as part of a healthy dietary pattern by replacing less healthful foods may help mitigate the gradual weight gain common during adulthood, and beneficially contribute to the prevention of obesity,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
One author was partly funded by The Peanut Institute, while another was partly funded by the California Walnut Commission.<\/p>\n