Many people tend to overlook the ‘mixed nuts’ option when in the snack aisles at the grocery store, especially if they have a mindset to stick to a ‘low-’ or ‘no-fat’ diet. Yet not all fats are bad for our health, particularly unsaturated fats – which may be found in nuts.

Researchers from the University of Rovira i Virgili in Spain have published a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that eating a daily serving of mixed nuts helps to manage metabolic rate and other related disorders such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, abnormal blood sugar and heart disease.

Jordi Salas-Salvado and colleagues analyzed 1,224 participants in a study which divided them into three groups: one advised on a low-fat diet, another added an extra liter of olive oil per week in their diet, whilst the third group received an additional 30 grams of mixed nuts daily. The participants were all between 55 to 80 years of age. The groups with olive oil and mixed nuts were also on a Mediterranean diet, which is largely vegetables, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil over red meat and alcohol.

Previous studies have linked the benefits of a Mediterranean diet to reducing risks of diabetes, asthma and other conditions.

At the beginning of the study, two-third of the participants, both men and women, met the criteria for having metabolic syndrome. After one year, 14 percent of the group who was recommended a Mediterranean diet plus 30 grams of nuts daily showed decreased symptoms of metabolic syndrome. 7 percent showed decreases in the olive oil group, and for participants in the control group of the low fat diet, the metabolic syndrome decreased by 2 percent.

The results found that a traditional Mediterranean diet filled with nuts is a useful tool for managing metabolic syndrome. This is due to nuts containing unsaturated and palatable fat. Other beneficial nutrients of nuts include fiber, arginine, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Symptoms of metabolic syndrome include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, abdominal obesity, elevated CRP and insulin resistance.

The study shows that a low-fat diet alone may not be enough to fight the risks of metabolic syndrome as well as its related symptoms and conditions. With only 2 percent effectiveness compared to 14 percent for adding 30 grams of nuts to daily intake, anyone with metabolic syndrome or associated conditions should really consider incorporating mixed nuts into their diets from now onwards.

Whether or not the benefits may have all come from one or a few particular types of nuts has yet to be tested, however for now, a mixture of any nut combination should be more beneficial than not consuming any nuts at all.