People who eat nuts five or more times a week have lower markers of inflammation compared to people who never eat nuts – and inflammation levels dropped dramatically among people who substitute three servings a week of red meat, processed meat, eggs or refined grains for nuts.
Nuts of all types contain magnesium, fibre, L-arginine, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids, although researchers aren’t clear which ones act as anti-inflammatories, or if they work together synergistically.
The discoveries were made by a team of researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who assessed the health and diets of more than 120,000 female nurses and 50,000 male health professionals.
(Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.134205)
