The Study
Nut consumption and total and cause-specific mortality: results from the Golestan Cohort Study.
This study watched a big group of people for years and noticed that those who ate more nuts tended to live longer. But it didn’t make people eat nuts — it just watched what they already did. So we can’t say nuts made them live longer — just that they were connected.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked what people ate and who died over 7 years in Iran to see if eating nuts was linked to living longer.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 567 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though people who ate more nuts were more likely to smoke or be overweight, they still lived longer — suggesting nuts might have a direct protective effect.
- 2People who ate at least 3 handfuls of nuts per week were 29% less likely to die from any cause, 23% less likely to die from heart disease, and 44% less likely to die from stomach or gut cancers.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International journal of epidemiology
Year
2016
Authors
Tannaz Eslamparast, M. Sharafkhah, H. Poustchi, Maryam Hashemian, S. Dawsey, N. Freedman, P. Boffetta, C. Abnet, A. Etemadi, A. Pourshams, A. F. Malekshah, F. Islami, F. Kamangar, S. Merat, P. Brennan, A. Hekmatdoost, R. Malekzadeh
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who eat nuts have a lower rate of death from any cause compared to those who do not eat nuts.
Adults aged 40 and older who eat three or more servings of nuts per week have a 44% lower risk of dying from gastrointestinal cancers compared to those who eat fewer servings.
Adults aged 40 and older who eat three or more servings of nuts per week have a 23% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who eat fewer servings, after accounting for smoking, obesity, and socioeconomic status.
Adults aged 40 and older who eat at least three servings of nuts per week have a 29% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who eat fewer servings.
People who eat nuts have a lower risk of death, even when they have high body weight, low education, smoke, or are inactive.
People who eat at least one serving of peanuts or tree nuts per week have a lower risk of death compared to those who eat less, based on statistical adjustments for other lifestyle factors.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.