Eating Nuts Tied to Increased Colon Cancer Survival

Patients with stage III colon cancer may greatly benefit from eating just a handful of tree nuts.

According to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, patients’ survival significantly improved with just two 1-ounce servings of tree nuts per week. Tree nuts include:

• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Cashews
• Chestnuts
• Hazelnuts
• Hickory nuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Pine nuts (pinon, pignolias)
• Pistachios
• Walnuts

Though eating nuts should not be used as a treatment substitute, these findings show they are a healthy option for patients to support their survival.

Tree nuts, but not peanuts, provide cancer benefit

The study on tree nuts followed the progress of 826 colon cancer participants after they were treated with surgery and chemotherapy.

Researchers found that patients who regularly ate at least two 1-ounce servings of nuts each experienced:

• 42% improvement in disease-free survival
• 57% improvement in overall survival

Additional analysis showed that patients who ate only tree nuts, and not peanuts, actually had a 46% improvement in disease free survival. Unlike tree nuts (like almonds, walnuts, and cashews), peanuts are part of the legume family of foods (like beans, lentils, and soy).

How nuts may benefit cancer survival

Nuts are full of nutrients including healthy fats (like omega-3), protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals (like vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium).

Though researchers are still exploring the exact cancer benefits of nuts, there are many ways they are already known to improve health.

For example, previous studies have found that nuts may reduce insulin resistance. This is a condition where the body stops responding properly to insulin, leading to unhealthy blood sugar levels.  While this is  often a sign of type 2 diabetes, studies have also shown that high blood sugar and insulin levels can contribute to colon cancer risk.

And, because nuts are rich in fats, fiber, and protein, they make you feel full more quickly. By satisfying hunger, nuts may prevent people from eating foods with more health risks, like refined sugars and carbohydrates.

In addition to regular exercise and as part of a well-balanced diet, eating two 1-ounce servings of tree nuts per week is a healthy option for colon cancer patients to improve their survival.