Tree nuts are a nutrient dense food that contain high amounts of fat, minerals and protein. The fat content of nuts is generally considered to be beneficial to the health, because is composed mainly of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts for example contain high concentrations of alpha linolenic acid (ALA, C:18 (n-3)) which has been shown to have beneficial health properties. Research1 has investigated the association between the intake of nuts and incidence of cardiovascular disease in 6309 women with type 2 diabetes. Nut consumption was assessed with a frequent food questionnaire every 2 years between 1980 and 2002. During this time there was 452 cardiovascular events and 182 stroke cases. Frequent peanut butter and nut consumption was inversely associated with total cardiovascular risk when adjustments were made for age. Nut consumption was also associated with lower LDL cholesterol, lower total cholesterol, and lower apolipoprotein B-100 concentrations
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