Macro partitioning
Frequent consumption of nuts (defined as >5 units/week, where 1 unit = 1 oz) is associated with a significantly reduced risk of total coronary heart disease, fatal coronary heart disease, and non-fatal myocardial infarction in women.
Incorporate more than 5 ounces of nuts (about 1/2 cup) into your weekly diet. This frequency is linked to a significantly lower risk of heart disease and heart attacks in women. Focus on whole nuts rather than peanut butter with hydrogenated fats, as the unsaturated fats in nuts help improve blood lipid levels.
women who ate more than five units of nuts (one unit equivalent to 1 oz of nuts) a week (frequent consumption) had a significantly lower risk of total coronary heart disease (relative risk 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.47 to 0.89, P for trend = 0.0009) than women who never ate nuts or who ate less than one unit a month (rare consumption).
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort study (Nurses' Health Study, n=86,016) with long follow-up (14 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study
F. B Hu et al. · BMJ · 1998
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