Are there any special health problems associated with nuts?
Most nuts are not associated with any health problems in the vast majority of people. However, nut allergies are a major cause for concern in a small proportion of the population. Some people are allergic to ‘tree nuts’ ( almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts ), some are allergic to peanuts, and a few unfortunate people are allergic to both tree nuts and peanuts. At least in terms of the number of deaths it causes, nut allergy is probably the most serious food allergy. It has been reported that peanut allergy kills about 100 people a year in the United States alone, and its incidence appears to be increasing—one study found that (self-reported) peanut allergy among American children doubled from 1997 to 2002. A New Zealand study reported that at least 0.6% of the general population is allergic to one or more tree nuts, and peanut allergy has been reported to affect 1.9% of Australian infants. Although probably no more
