A recent study suggests eating nuts, including peanuts and peanut butter, may help you live longer.

Researchers studied the diets of more than 200,000 people in both the United States and China, and discovered that nut consumption was linked to a lower risk of premature death from heart disease and other causes.

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Study researcher Dr. Xiao-Ou Shu, associate director of global health and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., said their findings support the evidence on the heart-healthy benefits of nuts

Shu said the finding is merely based on an observational study, and they cannot prove cause-and-effect with certainty, however.

The team asked men and women about their intake of nuts. Peanuts are frequently less expensive than other nuts, which is an important feature for the many low-income men and women who were studied.

Researchers found out the group that ate the most nuts, peanuts and peanut butter reduced their risk of early death from heart disease and all other causes by about 20 percent than the group eating the least.

"Because peanuts [which do not grow on trees] are much less expensive than tree nuts, as well as more widely available to people of all races and all socioeconomic backgrounds, our study finding suggests that increasing peanut consumption may provide a potentially cost-efficient approach to improving cardiovascular health," said Shu.

The researchers followed the men and women for various time periods, ranging from a median of 5.4 years to more than 12. The researchers looked for an effect on nut intake and death from cancer and diabetes, but did not find one.

Shu said nuts are rich in nutrients like fiber, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids, arginine, phenolic antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. These nutrients aid in taking care of heart health by reducing inflammation.

The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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