Eat nuts to cut cancer risk: Study

Consuming nuts is associated with a decreased risk of certain types of cancer, but not Type-2 diabetes, says new study.

For the study, researchers conducted a systematic review of 36 observational studies, which included 30,708 patients on the disease-preventive powers of nut consumption to create a comprehensive analysis.

The study was published in the journal Nutrition Reviews.

"Our study suggests that nut consumption may be associated with reduced risk of cancers, which may have practical implication," said lead author Lang Wu at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

"Aligning with the known beneficial effect of nuts on heart diseases, our study may imply that individuals interested in making better food choices to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease can consider consuming nuts, after considering the caloric and fat contents of different types of nuts," Wu said.

While, previous studies evaluated the disease-preventive powers of nuts, there is still a scarcity of available data on the relationship between individual types of cancer and nut consumption.

Additional studies are consequently needed to more accurately assess these relationships, noted the authors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"Nut consumption was inversely associated with risk of colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and pancreatic cancer, but not with other types of cancer or type 2 diabetes. Overall, nut intake was associated with a decreased risk of cancer," said the authors.