40 Bazillion Squirrels Can’t Be Wrong: Eat Your Nuts

At least in my neck of the woods, the common acorn (AKA: oak nut) is the preferred cuisine of squirrels. And have you ever seen an unhealthy, obese, diabetic, or hypertensive squirrel? Although across-traffic road misadventure while seeking nuts may be a common cause of death, the species enjoys unabated proliferation in the southeast.

Previous literature has established a favorable inverse relationship between nut consumption and the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Whether this association translates into improved mortality as well has not been established. Bao et al report on mortality in subjects participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (n = 76,464 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n = 42,498 men) in relation to nut consumption.

After adjustment for other risk factors, there was a statistically significant linear inverse relationship between frequency of nut consumption and mortality in both men and women ranging from a 7% mortality reduction associated with nut consumption less than once a week up to a 20% mortality reduction associated with daily nut consumption. And by the way, it wasn’t just the high-ticket item nuts like cashews; the relationships held for simple peanuts as well.

Despite their dietary wisdom, grey squirrels only live an average of 6 years. So, the moral of the story is that nuts can help you live longer, as long as you also look both ways before crossing the street and don’t stop in the middle.