Eating a handful of nuts a day could reduce the risk of developing dementia, study says

A handful of nuts a day could keep dementia at bay, according to a pioneering study.

Eating just 30 grams of unsalted and unprocessed nuts reduces the risk of developing the disease by 12 percent, the team of Spanish and Portuguese researchers found.

The benefits are more marked for women, those over 60 years of age and those who do not have other risk factors such as obesity or high alcohol consumption.

The survey looked at more than 50,000 Britons over seven years using data from the UK Biobank study and the Oxford WebQ questionnaire.

Nuts were thought to play a “protective role” in preventing the disease, due to multiple effects such as reducing inflammation and cholesterol.

Researchers from the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of Porto wrote in the journal GeroScience: “Daily consumption of nuts may play a protective role in preventing dementia.

“UK adults who consumed walnuts daily had a reduced risk of all-cause dementia compared to non-consumers after seven years of follow-up, regardless of adjustment for lifestyle, hearing problems, self-related health and the number of chronic diseases”.

Bridget Benelam, from the British Nutrition Foundation, told The Mail on Sunday: “This is a really important finding given that dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. Nuts are rich in nutrients and contain fat, protein, fiber and a variety of micronutrients.

‘Since nuts are also associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, they are a great food to include as part of a healthy diet. But they are high in calories, so it’s best to limit serving sizes to a small handful.