常吃花生能降低死亡风险

Eating nuts and peanuts reduces the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, a new study claims. Researchers found they were linked with a reduced risk of death from heart disease among people on low incomes.

一项新的研究显示，吃坚果和花生可以减少心脏病或者中风的发病几率。研究者发现，低收入人群因心脏疾病而死忙的风险较低便是与此有关。

And they believe their findings suggest peanuts may be a cost-effective measure to improve cardiovascular health because they are so cheap.

并且他们相信，这项发现暗示了吃花生可能是一种既划算又有效的改善心血管健康的方式，因为这真的花不了多少钱。

However experts cautioned today that salt-covered nuts would not have the same health benefits. Nuts are rich in nutrients and peanuts, although classified as legumes, have nutrients similar to tree nuts.

而现在专家们提醒说，盐津坚果可能对健康没有同样的效果。坚果富含营养物质，然而花生虽然归为豆类，但是含有与坚果相似的营养物质。

The new study, led by Dr Xiao-Ou Shu, of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Tennessee, analysed various groups of people.

这项新的研究是由美国田纳西州范德毕特大学医学院的舒晓鸥博士领导的，分别研究了不同的人群。

One involved 72,000 low-income black and white men and women living in the US, the other 134,000 men and women living in Shanghai, China.

其中一个包括了7.2万在美国居住的低收入白人和黑人，另外13.4万人是住在中国上海的人。

In both groups, men ate more peanuts than women.

在这两个群体中，男性比女性花生吃得多。

In the US group, about half of the nuts consumed were peanuts, and in the Chinese group only peanut consumption was assessed.

在美国群体中，他们吃的坚果里大约一半都是花生；至于中国群体，他们只评估了吃花生的摄入量。

The researchers found that across the board, eating nuts reduced the risk of death from heart disease.

研究人员发现从全面来看，吃坚果能降低心脏病死亡的风险。

This was regardless of gender, race, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

这跟性别、种族、体质、是否抽烟、是否喝酒以及是否有糖尿病、高血压跟肥胖症无关。

In the US, the highest consumption resulted in a risk reduction of 21 per cent.

在美国，对于常吃花生或坚果的人，死亡风险比极少吃这类食物的人低21％。

In the Chinese group, it was 17 per cent.

在中国群体中，吃花生最多的人（的死亡风险）比吃花生最少的人低17％。

Dr Shu said: 'We observed no significant associations between nut or peanut consumption and risk of death due to cancer and diabetes.

'

舒博士说：“我们还没有发现吃坚果或者花生跟癌症和糖尿病患者死亡风险之间有什么显著的关联。”

She added the findings highlight the large public health impact of nut or peanut consumption in lowering deaths from heart disease - especially given their affordability.

她还说：“这些调查结果强调了坚果跟花生在降低心脏病死亡率方面对公众健康的影响，尤其是考虑到他们的经济承受能力。”

The research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

这项研究在《美国医学会杂志·内科学卷》上发表。

Dr Mitchell Katz, deputy editor of the journal, added: 'Of course, peanuts are not really nuts - they are legumes since they grow in bushes, unlike tree nuts.

该杂志的副总编米切尔·卡茨补充道：“当然，花生不是真正意义上的坚果——它们是豆科植物。因为它们跟坚果不一样，是生长在矮树丛中的。”

'But who cares if they help us to live longer at an affordable price?'

“花生物美价廉，有益健康，虽然花生不属于坚果，但又有谁在意呢？”