Eating variety of nuts linked to lower heart disease risk

WASHINGTON - People who regularly snack on a variety of nuts may face a lower risk of heart disease than people who don't, says the largest study of its kind, which was released this week.

Eating five weekly servings of walnuts, peanuts or other kinds of tree nuts was linked to a 14 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and a 20 percent lower risk of fatal complications due to hardened arteries, says the report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Walnuts appeared to be the healthiest option, according to the findings, based on more than 210,000 people who answered regular surveys as part of a nurses' study that spanned 32 years.