New York, June 16
Men suffering from prostate cancer
may significantly reduce their risk of mortality by consuming nuts like
almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts, new research suggests.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly
diagnosed and second most lethal cancer for men.
“Prostate cancer should be
considered seriously as more men are prone to such diseases,” said lead
researcher Ying Bao from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, US.
The findings showed that people who
consume nuts five or more times in a week had a 34 per cent decreased risk of
mortality due to prostate cancer in comparison to those who consumed nuts less
than once per month.
“Just 1.5 ounces of nuts per day
(about 1/3 cup) can have a positive impact on health,” added Maureen Ternus,
Executive Director at the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research
& Education Foundation—a US based non-profit organisation.
‘Insulin resistance’, a condition in
which the cells of the body become resistant to the hormone insulin, is
involved in prostate cancer risk and progression.
Tree nuts have also been associated
with improved insulin sensitivity and reduced risk of diabetes and
cardiovascular disease, thereby lowering the total mortality factor.
In addition, nuts contain important
nutrients such as unsaturated fats, high quality protein, vitamins, minerals
and phyto-chemicals, all of which offer cardio-protective, anti- carcinogenic,
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, the researchers said.
For the study, published online in
the British Journal of Cancer, the team evaluated 47,299 men, for an overall
period of 26 years.
The participants were diagnosed with
non-metastatic cancer. Only 10 per cent of them died from prostate cancer.
Around one-third died from cardiovascular disease and other causes.
“These
findings add to the growing body of evidence showing that nuts should be part
of a healthy diet,” Ternus noted. — IANS
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