ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the epidemiological and mechanistic evidence to date on the relationship between the consumption of a food — nuts — and coronary heart disease (CHD). The Adventist Health Study examined the association between the intake of particular foods and the risk of CHD in 34,198 Californian members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The study found that the frequency of nut consumption was inversely related to the risk of myocardial infarction or dying of CHD. The frequency of nut consumption was inversely associated with CHD risk in both males and females, and similar results were seen for normotensive and hypertensive subjects regardless of their relative weight. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the protective effects of nut consumption for CHD. Independent research seems to suggest that nut consumption has a protective effect on CHD.
