Latest Fact Sheet

Season 2, Ep 9 - Nuts

· Most of the things we call nuts aren’t really nuts at all. Botanically speaking true nuts are acorns, chestnuts, hickory and hazelnuts. The peanut is a legume. Pine nuts, pistachio nuts, cashew nuts, and brazil nuts are really seeds. Coconuts, walnuts, pecans and almonds are drupes. Some botanists call walnuts true nuts; others say it’s a drupe.

· The epidemiological evidence is mounting that frequent consumption of a small handful of any nuts protects against coronary heart disease.

· Studies have shown that eating modest amounts of nuts daily does not appear to promote weight gain.

· Although nuts are high in fat most of the fatty acids are unsaturated and therefore have a beneficial effect on serum lipids through lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels.

· Walnuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 type fat associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease

· In addition to protecting against heart disease, nuts may reduce the risks of having a stroke, of developing type 2 diabetes, dementia, and even gallstones.

· Some nuts – notably cashews, almonds and Brazilss are high in oxalates (the same compounds that makes rhubarb toxic). Oxalates cause kidney stones and interfere with calcium uptake. People prone to kidney stones should not eat too many of these nuts, or have them with a calcium source (e.g. cheese) – calcium binds oxalate and renders is harmless.

· In the west about 1 in 100 people are estimated to suffer from a nut allergy. You can be allergic to tree-nuts but not peanuts, that’s why some bags of peanuts carry the warning “may contain traces of nuts.”

· Coconuts are very high in saturated fat. Studies suggest coconut saturated fat is not as bad for us as butter, but it’s still worse than unsaturated fats.

· Pecans contain more antioxidants than any other nut, and they rank 14th among all high antioxidant foods, such as blueberries.

· Bitter almonds contain a compound called amygdalin which breaks down to produce benzaldehyde (almond essence) and hydrogen cyanide. Sweet almonds – the kind we eat – do not contain amygdalin and do not produce cyanide.