Mediterranean style diets are rich in fruits, vegetables and fish. They don't include lots of red meat or dairy products. Earlier studies have suggested that the Mediterranean style diet may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, and the team of Spanish researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of this type of diet plan verses a low fat diet. The American Heart Association estimates that 50 million U.S.

Study lead Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain says. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of factors that include high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low good cholesterol and high blood sugar. Adults have metabolic syndrome and this greatly increases our risk of heart disease. But before you go reaching for the nuts, adding this number of calories to a typical Western isn't what the research had in mind, and in fact would tend to lead to weight gain and increased disease risk.

Nuts Nutrition Facts Revealed A study looking at nuts nutrition facts conducted by a team of Spanish researchers found that eating a handful of nuts (3 whole walnuts, 7 or 8 whole hazelnuts or almonds) had more health benefits than boosting the joane oil in a typical Mediterranean style diet.