The Study
Nut consumption and risk of mortality in the Physicians' Health Study.
This study watched a bunch of male doctors for almost 10 years and noticed that those who ate more nuts tended to live longer. But it didn’t make them eat nuts — it just watched what they already did. So we can’t say nuts made them live longer — maybe they just had healthier habits overall.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked what older male doctors ate and whether they lived longer over nearly 10 years.
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.
- 1Yes — eating nuts regularly was linked to a meaningful drop in death risk, especially from heart disease, even after accounting for other healthy habits.
- 2Men who ate nuts at least 5 times a week were 26% less likely to die from any cause and 26% less likely to die from heart disease than those who ate nuts rarely.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2015
Authors
T. Hshieh, Andrew B Petrone, J. Gaziano, L. Djoussé
Related Content
Claims (5)
Among male physicians aged 65 and older, those who ate nuts more frequently had a 26% lower risk of dying from any cause over 9.6 years, compared to those who ate nuts less frequently, after accounting for other lifestyle and dietary factors.
Men aged 65 and older who eat nuts at least five times a week have a 26% lower rate of death from heart disease over 9.6 years compared to those who eat nuts less frequently, after accounting for other lifestyle and diet factors.
People who eat nuts have a lower risk of death, regardless of whether they have a high body weight or type 2 diabetes.
People who eat more nuts tend to consume less saturated fat and red meat and more fiber, polyunsaturated fats, and fruits and vegetables, and this pattern of eating is linked to lower rates of death.
In male physicians aged 65 and older, eating nuts does not lead to a statistically significant reduction in deaths from cancer over a 9.6-year period.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.