You are in Food and Nutrition . Almost all nuts have a lot going for them. Almost all nuts have a lot going for them. Nuts of all sorts are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E. Almonds are loaded with a form called alpha-tocopherol. Researchers, including myself, have found that both forms may help lower the risk of heart disease.
Cancer can also take a beating from nuts.
Selenium-rich cashews and Brazil nuts can help protect against cancer, according to a study published in the February 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. A study published at the same time in the American Journal of Family Physicians found that hazelnuts and almonds contain good amounts of folate, a B-vitamin that appears to protect against both cancer and heart disease. Nuts might offer additional protection against heart disease because they are high in the amino acid arginine. And a review of research in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Medicine found that arginine and other substances found in nuts could help in lowering total blood cholesterol, which also reduces the risk of heart disease. Many studies have found that this kind of oil can have cholesterol-lowering properties.