Health

Chewing a handful of nuts each day could keep your weight down, say Harvard scientists

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2020/09/30  16:26

Today's Vocabulary

1. excreted (v)
to get rid of material such as solid waste or urine from the body

2. obese (adj)
extremely fat in a way that is dangerous for health 

3. gut (n) 
the long tube in the body of a person or animal, through which food moves during the process of digesting food

 

4. consumed (v) 
to use fuel, energy, or time, especially in large amounts

5. tracked (v)
to follow a person or animal by looking for proof that they have been somewhere, or by using electronic equipment

6. dense (adj)
having parts  that are close together so that it is difficult  to go or see through

Chewing a handful of nuts each day could keep your weight down, say Harvard scientists

Experts tracked almost 300,000 people for around two decades. They were asked about how many nuts they ate and how much they weighed. Results showed participants who ate half an ounce (14g) of nuts every day gained less weight and were less likely to become obese.

Nut fibre also binds well to fat in the gut, meaning more calories are excreted, the researchers wrote in the published paper of their study. Nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals and fibre, but are not often consumed for weight loss because they are calorie dense.

Increasing consumption of any type of nut was linked to less long-term weight gain and a lower risk of becoming obese. Substituting snacks for half a serving of nuts was found to prevent around 0.9 to 1.5lbs (0.41-0.7kg) of weight gain over the following four years.

While upping daily nut consumption from none to half a serving was linked to preventing almost 1.6lbs (0.74kg) in weight gain. And consistently eating at least half a serving of nuts each day had a similar effect, the researchers wrote in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

Analysis of the data suggested eating half a serving of nuts each day – of any kind – was linked to a 23 per cent lower risk of becoming obese. In terms of individual nuts, eating an extra half a serving of walnuts a day lowered the odds of becoming obese of the next four years by around 15 per cent.

Resource: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7495177/Eating-half-ounce-nuts-day-cuts-odds-gaining-weight.html

Discussion
  1. Have you ever been on a diet?
  2. What is the best way to diet?
  3. Are nuts better than chocolate and cakes?

“No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.”

Channing Pollock

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