How the right fats can shield you from heart disease and diabetes

by: | August 31, 2024
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healthy-fats-lower-diabetes-risk(NaturalHealth365)  The fear of diabetes and heart disease can cause many people to think that fat is the ‘enemy.’ Nothing could be further from the truth – especially when eating healthy fats like tree nuts.

You see, there are many misguided theories out there suggesting that nuts have fat, therefore they are ‘bad for you.’ And, while nuts contain fat, they are ‘good’ (non-toxic) fats – which help people lose excess body weight, avoid heart disease and even balance blood sugar levels.

Looking for a delicious, healthy snack?  Tree nuts are the way to go, and yes, they are even backed by science.

LOWER your risk of diabetes: Eating nuts will lower blood fats and sugars, study reveals

Nuts are a good combination of minerals, vitamins, proteins, and unsaturated fats that are essential in lowering insulin resistance, inflammation, and LDL cholesterol.  A study carried out at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, and published in the BMJ Open found that consuming tree nuts reduced blood sugar and triglycerides – two of the five metabolic syndrome indicators.

An individual is said to have metabolic syndrome if they have three of these:

  • High triglycerides
  • High blood sugar
  • High blood pressure
  • Excess weight around the waist
  • Low levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein)

Dr. John Sievenpiper, the lead researcher, noted that the biggest drop in blood sugar and triglycerides was observed in persons who made tree nuts part of their diet compared to those under the control diet.  Despite nuts being high in calories, they did not adversely impact the other metabolic syndrome risk factors, further debunking the myth that nuts are bad for your health.

Patients in this study consumed only 50 grams of nuts daily.

Furthermore, research supports that nuts don’t just help manage blood sugar and triglycerides – they may also play a crucial role in combating inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are underlying factors in many chronic diseases.  A narrative review highlighted that certain nuts, like almonds and walnuts, have a positive effect on inflammation, while others, such as Brazil nuts, may help reduce oxidative stress.  These effects are particularly relevant since oxidative stress and inflammation are key drivers of many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease and diabetes.

Also worth noting: tree nuts are included in the Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet – both of which are known to help reduce LDL cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

What are some good examples of healthy tree nuts?

Pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, hickory nuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, and pistachios are great examples of tree nuts.  If you want to control blood sugar and triglycerides (blood fats) effectively, ensure you include 50 grams of tree nuts in your diet daily.

By the way, 50 grams is just 1.76 ounces/day.  So, you see, small changes to the diet can have a significant (positive) impact on your life.

And, finally, (in case you’re wondering), the best choice would be organic, sprouted nuts – since non-organic tree nuts are loaded with toxic chemicals known to trigger inflammation, cancer cell growth, hormonal imbalances, plus a range of digestive issues.

Sources for this article include:

NIH.gov
BMJ.com
PLOS.org

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