Half a handful of NUTS a day can prevent early death.

● Those who ate 10g of nuts a day were less likely to die from major diseases

● These included respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases

● Link between peanuts and lower death rates was as strong as other nuts 

● Peanut butter offered no protective effect; researchers explained high levels of vegetable oils and salt could 'cancel out' health benefits of nuts

Snacking on just half a handful of nuts a day can cut the risk of dying from a string of major diseases, a new study reveals.

Researchers found that eating at least 10g of nuts or peanuts per day led to a lower risk of dying from respiratory disease, such as asthma  and emphysema, and neurodegenerative diseases, which includes dementia.

It also reduced the risk of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks and strokes. 

The effects were found to be equal in men and women, they revealed.

And people who ate peanuts showed just as strong reductions in mortality as those who ate tree nuts like cashews, almonds, pecans and walnuts, among others.

However, researchers found no protective effect from eating peanut butter.

They explained this may be because the salt and vegetable oils it contains 'cancel out' the beneficial effects of the nuts.