Nut consumption may decrease risk of colorectal, endometrial cancers

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a systematic review published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, researchers at the May Clinic in Rochester and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have found that nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk for developing certain types of cancer, but not type 2 diabetes.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 36 observation studies that included 30,708 patients. Results showed that nut consumption was associated with a decreased risk for colorectal, endometrial, and pancreatic cancer.

Researchers did not find an association between nut consumption and a reduced risk for other types of cancer or type 2 diabetes.

"Our study suggests that nut consumption may be associated with reduced risk of cancers, which may have practical implication. Aligning with the known beneficial effect of nuts on heart diseases, our study may imply that individuals interested in making better food choices to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease can consider consuming nuts, after considering the caloric and fat contents of different types of nuts", said Lang Wu, principal investigator of the study.