Nutty diet may ward off diabetes, new study shows

CHICAGO -- Eating lots of nuts or peanut butter may help ward off diabetes, a study of more than 83,000 nurses suggests.

Women who reported eating the equivalent of a handful of nuts or one tablespoon of peanut butter at least five times a week were more than 20 percent less likely to develop adult-onset, or type 2, diabetes than those who rarely or never ate those products.

Researchers from Harvard University's School of Public Health analyzed data on 83,818 women ages 34 to 59 who were followed for up to 16 years. The researchers said the findings would probably apply to men as well.

The findings appeared in the Nov. 27 Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Nuts in the past have been considered as an unhealthy food because of the high-fat content," said Harvard researcher Dr. Frank Hu.

During the government-funded study, 3,206 women developed diabetes.