November 2002
Volume XXVIII, Number 5

	Inside This Issue Defibrillator on Duty Saving Lives in Pittsburgh AEDs: No Experience Required Sudden Cardiac Arrest--Not A Heart Attack New Laws Protect AED Users Motorcycles Equipped With AEDs Overweight Americans Face Serious Health Risks Help For Heart Failure Nuts: Tasty and Heart Healthy Winning Health Recipe of the Month

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that individuals who consumed nuts two or more times a week experienced a significant decrease in sudden cardiac death. For the study, over 21,000 male participants enrolled in the U.S. Physicians Health Study were prospectively followed for an average of 17 years. After controlling for cardiac risk factors--such as age, aspirin intake, and dietary habits- researchers found that those who ate two or more one-ounce servings of nuts each week had a 47 percent lower risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrest, compared with participants who ate nuts less often.

Doctors define sudden cardiac death as death that occurs within one hour after symptoms begin. Researchers suggest that the nutritional content of nuts--rich in vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, and unsaturated fats--may be in part responsible for their cardioprotective benefits. Researchers advised that nut consumption should be in line with an otherwise heart-healthy diet and that people who add nuts to their diet make sure they don't add excess calories in the process. Previous studies have already shown the heart-healthiness of oils found in nuts, just one of the many benefits of adding nuts to the diet.