Q: What is it about nuts, including Georgia pecans, that may help prevent diseases such as heart disease and diabetes?
A: It’s true. Several studies have found the people who eat nuts often have a lower risk of developing both heart disease and diabetes. There are any number of theories and explanations as to why nuts help keep you healthy. One theory focuses on the effects nuts have on inflammation of the body. Inflammation is now recognized as a major trigger for a variety of conditions and diseases, including atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In a recent study of more than 6,000 men and women, researchers found that those who ate nuts at least five times a week, had significantly lower levels of the compounds C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and fibrinogen, all of which are recognized sensitive markers for inflammation. When inflammation occurs, the body produces more of these compounds in an effort to reduce it. They found that the link between nuts and these inflammation markers held up even after taking high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and medication use into account. While the researchers didn’t follow up to see if the people actually developed less heart disease and diabetes, experts believe that a drop in these inflammation marker compounds translates into less disease.
