Nut consumption linked to nutritionally rich food intake

(HealthDay)—Among overweight and obese women, nut consumption is associated with increased consumption of nutritionally rich foods and with reduced body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online Sept. 21 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.

Samara R. Sterling, Ph.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues monitored changes in nut intake, other obesity-related foods, and BMI over a two-year weight-loss intervention conducted among 383 overweight and obese African-American women. Over 24 months, two dietary recalls were administered at four points.

The researchers found that, compared with non-nut consumers, nut consumers ate more fruits and vegetables and less red meat, and had lower BMI values. By the end of the intervention, weight loss was significant for nut consumers but not for non-nut consumers, even after accounting for calorie intake and physician activity.

"Future interventions should target increasing daily nut intake, decreasing added sugar intake, and identifying strategies to encourage positive dietary changes to continue after an intervention," the authors write.

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