Eating a small handful of nuts daily
Grade ABig benefitLifespanLow costLittle timeNo willpower
People who regularly eat nuts have roughly 20% lower mortality rates than those who don’t. Even eating nuts just once a week yields a 10% reduction in risk. The greatest benefit is seen when intake reaches a daily handful.
- Cost
- Consuming 28 grams per day costs roughly 200–300 yuan annually. It’s easy to fit into your routine without taking extra time.
- Benefit
- Two U.S.-based longitudinal studies tracked 119,000 participants over more than 3 million person-years. Compared to non-nut eaters: individuals consuming nuts less than once a week saw a 7% lower mortality risk (hazard ratio 0.93, 95% CI 0.90–0.96). Those eating nuts once a week had a 11% lower risk (0.89, 0.86–0.93). For intake of 2–4 times weekly, the reduction was 13% (0.87, 0.83–0.90); for 5–6 times weekly, 15% (0.85, 0.79–0.91). Daily consumption resulted in a 20% lower risk (0.80, 0.73–0.86).
- Notes
- Choose unsalted, unflavored varieties. Nuts are calorie-dense, so avoid eating them in excess as a snack. Keep in mind these studies only track long-term trends — nut eaters generally maintain healthier lifestyles overall, so these figures should be interpreted with some caution.
Sources · 1
- Bao Y, Han J, Hu FB, et al. (2013). Association of nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. New England Journal of Medicine, 369(21), 2001-2011. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1307352