The Benefits of Nuts: Natural Vitamin and Mineral Complexes for Health

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Aging is the cause of a number of health problems and is associated with physiological changes that increase the risk of deficiency of essential vitamins, macro- and microelements.

Nuts are not only a tasty treat but also a real treasure trove of beneficial substances. They are rich in unsaturated fats, proteins, various nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that provide a number of health benefits.

Why Artificial Vitamins Are Ineffective

Many people do not consume enough vitamins and microelements. Elderly people are at particular risk — low concentrations of vitamins and microelements are associated with an increased risk of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

Taking additional pharmacy vitamin and mineral complexes does not solve the problem.

Firstly, almost all vitamins, except for vitamins D and K, are better taken separately rather than in complexes, because taking vitamins in a complex form makes it difficult for them to be absorbed, and sometimes even neutralizes the effect of some of them.

Secondly, artificial vitamins often have harmful effects, such as antioxidant vitamins A, E, and C.

Thirdly, artificial vitamins are in pure form and are immediately absorbed into the blood. Therefore, it is easy to get an overdose. This is one of the main dangers of artificial vitamins.

Natural vitamins found in plant foods are in a bound state. Their absorption occurs slowly, and the concentration of vitamins and microelements in fruits is low, which makes overdose impossible.

The consumption of vitamin and mineral complexes is steadily increasing, thanks to television advertising. Most people consider artificial vitamins to be effective and safe.

However, many years of research indicate that taking artificial vitamins is not always effective for disease prevention and can harm health.

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The use of artificial vitamins A and E can have a negative effect, specifically increasing the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Neither vitamin C nor vitamin E provide any benefits for prostate cancer prevention.

Taking additional vitamin E significantly increases the risk of prostate cancer in men.

The potential risk of consuming high doses of vitamin C is often ignored, moreover, many people consider vitamin C a cure-all for colds and flu and take high doses for quick recovery, although vitamin C has no therapeutic effect for flu and colds. Read more about this in our article “Misconceptions about Vitamin C.”

However, high doses of vitamin C significantly increase the risk of thrombotic events. Vitamin C induces procoagulant and prothrombotic activation of erythrocytes and enhances thrombosis.

Taking ascorbic acid in large doses (7 tablets or more per week) significantly increases the risk of kidney stone formation.

Nuts as an Essential Component of a Healthy Diet

Almost all types of nuts and peanuts contain essential vitamins and microelements and are essentially natural vitamin and mineral complexes.

As mentioned earlier, artificial vitamins do not provide protection against cancer, whereas the anticancer effect of nuts, according to research, is biologically plausible.

A protective effect is also possible for colorectal cancer. Similarly, some studies show a possible protective effect for prostate cancer.

Nuts increase the level of microelements, which is especially important for elderly people.

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Elderly people who added nuts to their diet for several months significantly improved their levels of Magnesium and vitamin E in the body.

In addition, blood tests showed a decrease in glucose and low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels, along with an increase in Magnesium and vitamin E levels.

Nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, copper, and B vitamins.

Consuming nuts reduces the risk of developing ischemic heart disease.

Nuts have prebiotic properties, which promote the reproduction and growth of beneficial microorganisms in the human colon.

They contain dietary fibers, which are food for beneficial bacteria that inhabit our intestines and make up the human microbiome, on the bacterial diversity and abundance of which our health and longevity directly depend.

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Consuming nuts is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Thus, nuts are beneficial natural vitamin and mineral complexes that have a positive impact on health and, unlike artificial vitamins, do not have negative side effects.

Consuming nuts should be considered an essential component of a healthy diet.

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