According to a Spanish study, Mediterranean diet enriched with daily servings of mixed nuts may help manage metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome includes factors that are considered pre-cursors to heart disease such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol.

Spain researchers have found that Mediterranean diet combined with nuts can greatly reduce those risk factors and fight the disease.

For the study, researchers analyzed the diets of 1,200 different patients with nearly 70% of them having some of the above risk factors which could have led them to heart disease. They were divided into three groups: two groups received the Mediterranean diet combined with one liter per week of virgin olive oil, or 30 grams per day of mixed nuts; the control group received advice on a different low-fat diet. After one year, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased by 13.7 percent in the mixed nut group, while in the olive oil group, the prevalence decreased by 6.7 percent and in the control group by 2 percent. In addition, those who eat a Mediterranean diet combined with nuts succeeded in reducing belly fat and saw improvements in their cholesterol and blood pressure.

The standard Mediterranean diet includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seafood, yogurt, olive oil and small amounts of wine. When they are eaten in small amounts, nuts can add a significant benefit to the Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in healthy types of fat and also contain fiber that gives those who consume them a sense of fullness.

The study was published in the Dec. 8 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.