The snack that doctors say is GOOD for your heart

The snacks are praised for their high fiber, protein and vitamin content.

But eating nuts and seeds every day can also be good for your heart, a study by scientists in Sweden and Norway suggests.

Consuming a handful, or about 30 g, of the mixture per day was linked to nearly 2 million people with lower cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, according to the study.

And it reduces the risk of developing or dying from a heart attack or stroke by a quarter, according to the team from the University of Oslo and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

But they note that not many people eat that amount of nuts and seeds per day. Brits eat just 6 grams of nuts and seeds a day, while Americans eat just 1 gram on average.

The researchers reviewed 60 studies involving 1.9 million participants to see if there was a link between nut and seed consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

The study, published in the journal Food and Nutrition, was carried out to contribute to new Scandinavian dietary guidelines.

The results show that those who had a “high” consumption of around 30g of seeds and nuts were 19 per cent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 23 per cent less likely to die from it, compared to those who only ‘ had a low eating count. . .

Nut and seed fanatics were 18 percent less likely to develop heart disease and 25 percent less likely to die from it.

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Blueberries are known to be rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give them their deep purple color. Found in other dark, red or purple berries, the darker the fruit, the more antioxidants it contains

Erik Arnesen, a research fellow at the University of Oslo and first author of the study, said: “If you eat a handful of nuts a day, which is about 30 grams, you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 20 to 25 percent . Disease.

“By comparison, adults in the Scandinavian countries eat on average only about 4 grams of nuts per day. Many do not eat nuts or seeds at all.”

Almonds, pistachios and walnuts seem to be the best nuts when it comes to lowering cholesterol.

But study author Mr Arnesen insisted there was no conclusive evidence that people should be advised to eat certain types of nuts before others.

Instead, he suggests eating “the more the merrier” when it comes to snacking on nuts.

However, the NHS recommends eating them in moderation as they are high in fat and calories.

Mr Arnesen said that nuts have a positive effect on cholesterol levels, preventing the accumulation of fat in the arteries, which is one of the biggest risk factors for heart attacks.

However, the researchers could not confirm whether eating nuts reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes and stroke because snacking did not appear to have any effect on blood pressure or blood sugar levels.

Mr Arnesen said: “We are not sure about that. Nuts do not seem to affect blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors for stroke.

“We’re also not sure if nuts are good for glycemic control, which is linked to the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

One of the reasons researchers think nuts are so good for you is the fatty acid composition of nuts.

Mr. Arnesen noted that previous studies have suggested that eating nuts is good for the heart, but his study is the largest review of cardiovascular health to date.

Mr Arnesen said: “While nuts cannot be used to treat high cholesterol, we believe the effect is significant enough to be used as a preventive measure in the general population.”