Eating Nuts May Extend Lifespan

Now dont’t jump the gun here, you elk and deer hunters, and feminists. I mean tree nuts, more or less.

As I’ve noted in past writings, I tend to eat oatmeal and nuts a lot—nuts just about every day: tree nuts such as pistachios, black walnuts, almonds and occassionally brazil nuts and others, also peanuts.

I’ve studied my physiological metrics over the years and concluded that getting down to < 10% body fat as my diet with a lot of oatmeal and nuts and fresh foods always makes me feel better, not to mention HDL cholesterol (the good stuff) as high as 104 (way out on the tail of the curve, excellent is around 60-70 tyically).

While I prefer to see many studies confirm health findings, it seems that it’s no accident that nuts are related to good health. Science news reports:

The study, the largest to tie nut consumption to longevity, jibes with work showing that the oils in nuts can reduce bad cholesterol and possibly inflammation. “If you take the evidence in its totality, the picture being painted by science is quite strongly that nuts improve health,” says Cyril Kendall, a nutritionist at the University of Toronto.

As I discussed last year, I have generally increased my fat intake during periods of heavy training; much of that comes from nuts. Works for me.