Media Release
May 2007
Nuts or supplements for all your nutritional needs?
Changes to Australia’s Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs) for nutrients has seen the
requirement for a number of nutrients increase, which begs the question: can we meet all our
nutritional needs naturally through our diet or are supplements necessary?
Dr Katrine Baghurst, formerly of the CSIRO*, has developed dietary models to determine which
combination of foods best meets the new Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) from the National
Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)1. Her findings suggest that including nuts in the
diet is very important for reaching required levels of many essential vitamins, minerals and
other nutrients.2
“By trialling a number of different diet options, we have found the best way to meet all the
essential nutrients we need each day is to include a handful of nuts (about 30g) as well as
plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrain cereals and seeds and water, moderate
amounts of lean meats, fish and poultry and reduced fat dairy foods and small amounts of
unsaturated oils or margarines in the diet,” Dr Baghurst said.
“Nuts are a concentrated source of essential fats and could be described as nature’s own
vitamin/mineral pill containing more than 28 important nutrients and all in safe levels, just as
nature intended.”
In the past, research has shown that just because foods contain important nutrients for health,
does not necessarily mean that more is better. Two trials using nutrient supplements at higher
levels than found naturally in food, have discovered the nutrient supplements did not confer
better health at higher intake levels and in fact may cause serious illness or death.

The first trial involved a substance called Arginine. Arginine is an amino acid or one
of the building blocks of protein. Arginine can be converted to nitric oxide, which can
relax smooth muscles such as those found in the blood vessels. It is thought to be
important for slowing the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and
improving blood flow.
A recent trial of arginine supplements in older men who had already suffered a heart
attack was aborted when 6 of the 70 study participants died during the trial.
Researchers concluded that arginine should not be used as a therapy for those who
have already had a heart attack. The dose of arginine used was 3g, three times a day
for six months.3

The second trial involved Vitamin E. In a study of just under 4,000 older people with
existing vascular disease and diabetes (older than 55 years) followed for 7 years,
researchers found an increase in the rate of heart failure in those taking Vitamin E
supplements of 400IU (~266mg) per day.4 This is more than 25 times the Adequate
Intake level of Vitamin E for men set in the NRVs at 10mg per day 1.
1
http://www.nrv.gov.au/
Baghurst K, Baghurst P. Perfect Diets? A report to the Australian Nutrition Trust. November 2004
3
Schulman SP, Becker LC, Kass DA, Champion HC, Terrin ML, Forman S, Ernst KV, Kelemen MD, Townsend SN, Capriotti A, Hare JM,
Gerstenblith G. L-arginine therapy in acute myocardial infarction: the Vascular Interaction With Age in Myocardial Infarction (VINTAGE MI)
randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2006 Jan 4;295(1):58-64.
4
Lonn E, Bosch J, Yusuf S, Sheridan P, Pogue J, Arnold JM, Ross C, Arnold A, Sleight P, Probstfield J, Dagenais GR, HOPE and HOPETOO Trial Investigators. Effects of long-term vitamin E supplementation on cardiovascular events and cancer: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 2005 Mar 16;293(11):1338-47.
2
1
Nuts contain both arginine and vitamin E, but in much lower quantities than used in these
studies. A 30g serve of mixed nuts contains 1.85g of arginine (which provides almost 50% of
what women were consuming on average in one Australian study 5) and 6.2mg of Vitamin E
(which provides just over 60% the Adequate Intake for Vitamin E for men).
Research has shown those who eat a small handful of nuts (30g) up to five times a week have a
reduced risk of heart disease by 30-50%6789. It is possibly the unique combination of nutrients,
at the levels occurring naturally in nuts, that contributes to this protective effect.
In a nutshell.
Ensure your diet is well balanced, containing a variety of foods from all the food groups such as
breads and cereals, fruits vegetables and nuts, meat, chicken, fish and legumes, dairy products
and healthy oils and you won’t need to rely on nutrient supplements to maintain your health.
*Dr Katrine Baghurst is an independent nutrition expert and the Australian Tree Nut
Industry/Nuts for Life did not fund her dietary modelling research.
********
For an interview with Dr Katrine Baghurst or Lisa Yates, Program Manager and Dietitian for
Nuts for Life, please contact Porter Novelli Melbourne:
Tanya Jayasuriya
Consultant
Phone: 03 9289 9555/0422 155 002
Email: tjayasuriya@porternovelli.com.au
5
Baghurst, K.I., Crawford, D., Worsley, A., Syrette, J., Record, S. and Baghurst, P. The Victorian Nutrition Survey Part 2 - Nutrient intakes
by age, sex and occupational status. (Book 215 pp) CSIRO ISBN 0 643 04307 1 (1987)
6
Albert CM, Gaziano JM, Willett WC, Manson JE Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the Physicians' Health
Study. Arch Intern Med. 2002 Jun 24;162(12):1382-7.
7
Ellsworth JL, Kushi LH, Folsom AR. Frequent nut intake and risk of death from coronary heart disease and all causes in postmenopausal
women: the Iowa Women's Health Study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2001 Dec;11(6):372-7.
8
Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Rosner BA, Speizer FE, Hennekens CH, Willett WC. Frequent nut consumption
and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 1998 Nov 14;317(7169):1341-5.
9
Fraser GE, Sabate J, Beeson WL, Strahan TM. A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease. The
Adventist Health Study. Arch Intern Med. 1992 Jul;152(7):1416-24.
2
Australian recommendations for eating nuts
‘Legumes, nuts and certain seeds, along with other plant foods, have been shown to offer specific health
benefits and their inclusion in the diet is recommended for everyone
Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults10 and Dietary Guidelines for Australian Children and
Adolescents11
‘Snack on plain unsalted nuts and fruit’
National Heart Foundation of Australia12
Recommendations regarding nut consumption by key international health authorities
‘Limit the intake of foods with a high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Substitute grains
and unsaturated fatty acids from vegetables, fish, legumes and nuts’.
American Heart Association13
Strength of evidence for a role of nuts in reducing cardiovascular risk ranked as ‘probable’.
World Health Organisation14
‘Nuts included in the ‘food items to choose more often’ column of the Guide to Therapeutic Lifestyle
Changes diet’.
National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel
‘Choose unsalted nuts, seeds and soy nuts for snacks instead of chips, cheesies and other high-fat salty
snack foods’.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
‘Scientific evidence suggest but does not prove that eating 1.5oz (45g) per day of most nuts as part of a
diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease’.
FDA Panel
Tips for including nuts in your everyday diet










Munch on pistachios as a pre-dinner appetiser
Sprinkle almonds or cashews through a stir fry
Roast chestnuts or pine nuts and toss them through a salad
Chop walnuts and add them to a dipping sauce
Crumble pecans or walnuts into a yoghurt dessert topping and serve with fruit
Sprinkle chopped, roasted hazelnuts or almonds onto low fat ice cream
Crumble macadamias or pistachios onto grilled fish
Add roasted pine nuts to your favourite pasta dish
Make a great pesto by blending pistachios or macadamias with fresh herbs, parmesan
and a little olive oil
Crushed Brazil nuts along with cashews and cous cous make great vegetarian patties
10
Food for Health. Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing & National Health and Medical Research
Council, 2003.
11
Food for Health. Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing, 2003.
12
Lipid management guidelines--2001. National Heart Foundation of Australia, The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Med J Aust 2001;175
Suppl:S57-85.
13
Krauss RM, Eckel RH, Howard B, Appel LJ, Daniels SR, Deckelbaum RJ, et al. AHA Dietary Guidelines: revision 2000: A statement for healthcare professionals
from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association. Circulation 2000;102(18):2284-99.
14
World Health Organisation. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Geneva: Report of a Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation, 2003:148.
3