The Study
Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies
This study looked at lots of people over time and found that those who ate more nuts tended to get sick less and live longer. But it doesn’t prove that nuts made them healthier — maybe they also exercised more or ate better overall. So we can say nuts are linked to better health, but we can’t say nuts are the reason.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at many studies about people who ate nuts and found that those who ate more nuts tended to get sick less and live 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 539 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means if you eat a small handful of nuts daily, you could significantly lower your chances of dying early from common diseases like heart disease or cancer.
- 2Eating 28 grams (about a handful) of nuts daily was linked to a 29% lower risk of heart disease, 22% lower risk of dying from any cause, and big drops in deaths from diabetes and lung diseases.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
BMC Medicine
Year
2016
Authors
D. Aune, NaNa Keum, Edward L. Giovannucci, L. T. Fadnes, P. Boffetta, D. Greenwood, Serena Tonstad, L. Vatten, E. Riboli, T. Norat
Related Content
Claims (9)
People who eat walnuts have a lower rate of death from any cause compared to those who do not.
People who eat nuts have a lower rate of death from any cause compared to those who do not eat nuts.
People who eat about 15 grams of walnuts each day have a lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who do not.
Eating up to 15 grams of nuts per day is associated with the lowest risk of death; eating more than that does not lower the risk further.
People who eat 28 more grams of nuts per day have a lower risk of dying from heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or any cause compared to those who eat less.
In 2013, an estimated 4.4 million premature deaths across four global regions occurred in people who consumed less than 20 grams of nuts per day.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.