Sunday, June 19, 2005

Nuts NOT Milk for Health

The New Zealand Herald: "In Finland, where a national selenium fortification programme was introduced in 1985, white muscle disease of the heart - a major risk factor for heart disease - has been eradicated. In this country, the governmental Food Standards Agency has reported that there is an inverse relationship between selenium intake and mortality from cancer.

Brazil nuts were linked last year with a reduced risk of breast cancer in some women by scientists at the University of Illinois. They claim selenium interacts with a natural body chemical to offer protection against the disease.

Many more studies have pointed to the long-term health benefits of eating nuts. One showed that regular consumption could cut the risk of bladder cancer in half because of their high vitamin E content.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that people who replaced half the fat in their daily diets with almonds experienced a drop in harmful LDL cholesterol of six per cent over six weeks.

Sue Baic, a registered dietitian and lecturer in nutrition at Bristol University, says: "If they are eaten as a snack in small quantities, they can help people who are watching their weight, because they are more satisfying to the appetite than chocolate or crisps.' "

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