On December 5th, Hayley Dunning, of the Communications and Public Affairs Office at The Imperial College London, reported these stunning new research findings: “A handful of nuts a day cuts the risk of a wide range of diseases.”
Citing a newly published study led by researchers from Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dunning’s report summed up the 
study, “the analysis of all current studies on nut consumption and disease risk has revealed that 20g a day – equivalent to a handful – can cut people’s risk of coronary heart disease by nearly 30 percent, their risk of cancer by 15 percent, and their risk of premature death by 22 percent.”
The research, just published in the prestigious journal, BMC Medicine seems to scientifically confirm what “health nuts” have been saying for years. The study included all kinds of tree nuts, such as hazel nuts and walnuts, and also peanuts – which are actually legumes.
The study’s co-author, Dagfinn Aune observed that, “We found a consistent reduction in risk across many different diseases…It’s quite a substantial effect for such a small amount of food.” Although a bit high in fat, Aune points out that, “…nuts are also high in fibre and protein, and there is some evidence that suggests nuts might actually reduce your risk of obesity over time.”
The study concluded that “Higher nut intake is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality, and mortality from respiratory disease, diabetes, and infections.”
Imperial College London article: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_2-12-2016-16-19-37
The research: BMC Medicine201614:207 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-016-0730-3