The fatty, salty, creamy, savory taste and texture of nuts make them a popular snack, accompaniment with beer and ingredient in a host of dishes. But given their high calorie and fat contents, many people still shy away from eating nuts regularly.

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Resist no more, a new report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adults who incorporate nuts into their diets don’t have to limit their consumption. A review of 31 studies about eating nuts found that people who added nuts to their diets and who replaced other foods with nuts lost more weight (an average 1.4 pounds more) and reduced their waist sizes by more than half an inch.

“Although the magnitude of these effects was modest, the results allay the fear that nut consumption may promote obesity,” wrote the researchers, according to Reuters Health. “Our findings support the inclusion of nuts in healthy diets for cardiovascular prevention.”

But weight loss isn’t the only benefit found in almonds, walnuts, cashews and the like. Here are a few other health reasons to chow down on the snack:

Stress Reduction

Heart Health

Lung Cancer

Weight Maintenance

Cholesterol

Prostate Cancer

Brain Health

To read more on how nuts can have an effect with the above list visit huffingtonpost.com