Raw organic nuts make for a near-ideal snack given their healthy fat, vitamin, antioxidant, and fiber content. If you’ve avoided them out of concern for your weight, you may want to reconsider.

A growing number of studies refute the myth that nuts might cause weight gain. In fact, the converse is true, as research¹ shows weight loss is one of the health benefits of regular nut consumption.

Those who eat nuts on a regular basis also tend to have lower systolic blood pressure and are less likely to have risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as low HDL cholesterol, abdominal obesity, and high fasting glucose.²

It’s not surprising then that nut consumption has been linked to cardiovascular health and a lower risk for diabetes. A number of studies have also linked nuts to a reduced mortality risk and life extension.

One reason nuts are so beneficial is that many—including walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and almonds—contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased risk for heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.

Adding Nuts May Help You Live Longer

One large-scale, 30-year long Harvard study ^3,4,5,6 found that people who ate a small handful (approximately one ounce or 28 grams) of nuts seven times per week or more were 20 percent less likely to die for any reason, compared to those who avoided nuts.

As reported by the Washington Post:⁷

“Even those who ate nuts less than once a week had a seven percent reduction in risk. Consuming nuts at least five times a week corresponded to a 29 percent drop in mortality risk for heart disease, a 24 percent decline for respiratory disease and an 11 percent drop for cancer.”

Another study⁸ published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that middle-aged women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet rich in nuts and vegetables were approximately 40 percent more likely to survive into later decades without developing some form of chronic disease—including age-related memory deterioration.