Another reason to snack on nuts

The crunchers can ward off a host of health problems, say investigators at Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Their analysis of 29 studies on nut consumption showed that munching on a handful of peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans or almonds daily lowered the risk of heart disease by nearly 30 percent, cancer by 15 percent and premature death by 22 percent. The researchers credit nuts’ fiber, magnesium and polyunsaturated fats, which reduce cholesterol and enhance heart health, plus antioxidants, which combat the cell-damaging oxidative stress that’s been linked to cancer.