In apparently the largest study ever conducted on nuts and their relation to human life expectancy, researchers found their consumption to be mostly beneficial.

According to BBC News, the study researchers found that people who ate a regular daily portion of nuts tended to have longer life expectancies. Part of the reasoning behind the conclusion was that those who regularly ate nuts were more likely to make other beneficial life choices.

The Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers published their work in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers examined results from 120,000 participants over the course of 30 years.

Those who ate a regular portion of nuts daily were 20 percent less likely to die during the study. Those who ate four portions per week were 13 percent less likely and weekly consumers were 11 percent less likely.

"The most obvious benefit was a reduction of 29% in deaths from heart disease, but we also saw a significant reduction - 11% - in the risk of dying from cancer," said lead researcher Dr. Charles Fuchs, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The study was divided into 76,464 women from the Nurse's Health Study and 42,498 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and counted deaths of any cause, CNN reported.

Previous studies have had similar results, but one of this size and length will give the researchers more validity. The researchers acknowledged the study is not entirely conclusive and could not say what the recommended portion of nuts should be. The study authors and other experts said further research is necessary.

"This study shows an association between regularly eating a small handful of nuts and a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease," Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, told BBC News. "While this is an interesting link, we need further research to confirm if it's the nuts that protect heart health, or other aspects of people's lifestyle."