SAN DIEGO – Teens who eat a modest daily portion of nuts lower their risk of metabolic syndrome, heart disease and diabetes, according to a new analysis of national databases.
The analysis was presented at the Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting in San Diego in March.
It is shown that adolescents who ate a small handful of nuts three times per week — had less than half the odds of non-eaters for developing metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of clinical features that heightens the risk of early heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The study sample was 2,233 U.S. adolescents, ages 12 to 19 years, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2010.
Studies show that only 8.9 percent of teenagers eat 12.9 g/day or more of tree nuts or peanuts — less than half an ounce or one-eighth of a cup.
Nut consumption also differs between races. Whites ate twice as many nuts as non-Hispanic blacks while more than 75 percent of all teens reported eating no nuts at all.
The researchers discovered that metabolic syndrome risk decreased with each additional gram per day of nut intake, but only up to 50 grams per day (about 1.8 ounces), when the benefit tapered off.
Tree nuts contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats, fiber and other nutrients but are high in calories, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.