Obesity is a medical condition where a person has too much body fat, which can harm their health.
It happens when a person takes in more calories than they burn off through physical activity and normal body functions.
Obesity can lead to many health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It can be treated with changes in diet and exercise habits, and sometimes medication or surgery may be needed.
According to a recent study by researchers at Harvard University, incorporating more nuts into your daily diet may help prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of obesity in the long run.
This is great news, as nuts are packed with nutrients such as protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for maintaining a healthy body.
One of the ways in which nuts help regulate body weight is due to their unique fat composition.
Nuts contain unsaturated fats that are not fully absorbed by the body, which means that they don’t contribute to weight gain in the same way that other fats do.
Additionally, nuts have been shown to regulate food intake, making you feel fuller for longer periods of time and reducing the overall amount of food you eat throughout the day.
Finally, the energy burned during the digestion of nuts also contributes to their weight management benefits.
In addition to their weight management benefits, nuts have also been found to have protective effects against heart disease due to their nutrient content.
Eating nuts has become a trend in the US, but until now, the link between nut consumption and long-term weight change has been unclear.
The study conducted by Harvard researchers aimed to explore this link further.
The researchers used data from three large long-term studies involving over 144,000 health professionals in the US who were free of chronic diseases.
The study participants were followed for up to 24 years, and the researchers found that eating more nuts, per 0.5 servings/day (14 g), was strongly linked to less weight gain over time.
Eating more nuts, walnuts, and other tree nuts by 0.5 servings/day was also linked to a lower risk of obesity.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that replacing less healthy foods such as red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts, or potato chips (crisps) with 0.5 servings/day of nuts every day was linked to less weight gain.
This suggests that incorporating nuts into your daily diet may be a simple and effective way to prevent weight gain and obesity.
There are several risk factors that can increase a person’s likelihood of becoming obese. Some of these include:
Genetics: Having family members who are obese or overweight can increase the risk of developing obesity.
Diet: Consuming a diet high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats can contribute to obesity.
Physical inactivity: Not getting enough physical activity or exercise can increase the risk of obesity.
Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing’s syndrome, can cause weight gain and increase the risk of obesity.
Age: The risk of obesity increases with age, as metabolism tends to slow down and physical activity levels may decrease.
Medications: Certain medications, such as antidepressants or steroids, can cause weight gain and increase the risk of obesity.
Psychological factors: Emotional eating, stress, and depression can also contribute to obesity.
If you care about weight management, please read studies about diets that could boost your gut health and weight loss, and 10 small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain.
For more information about weight loss, please see recent studies that Mediterranean diet can reduce belly fat much better, and Keto diet could help control body weight and blood sugar in diabetes.
The research is published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health and was conducted by Xiaoran Liu et al.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
