Heart disease is responsible for approximately 1 in every 5 premature deaths for people ages 25 through 64, according to 2021 research published in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the primary risk factors. Yet snacking on cashew nuts may help improve blood pressure levels, thereby reducing the risk of early death due to heart disease. A 2020 meta-analysis published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine that involved nearly 400 participants showed that systolic blood pressure measurements significantly dropped for participants who ate cashews compared to those who did not. While this was not found to be the case for diastolic blood pressure, an alternate 2019 systematic review did find a link between eating cashews and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.
Researchers from a 2019 meta-analysis took an in-depth look at whether nut consumption influenced mortality rates associated with specific causes of death. The study findings showed that nut intake (including cashews) reduced death due to cardiovascular disease by anywhere between 19% and 25%, coronary heart disease mortality by 24% to 30%, and death from stroke by anywhere between 17% and 18%.
