Nutrition: Nuts May, in Fact, Help Avert Diverticulitis Doctors
have long advised people with diverticulosis to steer clear of
nuts and foods with small seeds, fearing they might cause severe
intestinal complications. But a study has found that eating
these foods not only does not increase the risk of
complications, but may even lower the risk of developing the
disease. The study, published in the Aug. 27 issue of The
Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first large-
scale study of the matter. About a third of Americans over 60
develop diverticulosis, which causes intense pain in the abdomen
and leads to the rupture of small pouches in the colon, called
diverticula. In the study, scientists analyzed data on more than
47,000 men ages 40 to 75 who had no history of the disease at
the start of the study. The subjects were followed for the next
18 years, a period in which 800 cases of diverticulitis and
about 380 cases of diverticular bleeding were diagnosed. Those
who ate the most nuts, twice a wee