(NaturalNews) Eating a diet high in walnuts may decrease cholesterol and fight inflammation, two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard University and published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Consumption of nuts has been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease events and death," the researchers wrote. "Walnuts in particular have a unique profile: they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which may improve blood lipids and other
cardiovascular disease risk factors."
Walnuts are also considered good dietary sources of fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin E and other antioxidants.
Researchers analyzed the results of 13 different
studies conducted on a total of 365 participants who had obtained between 10 and 24 percent of their calories from
walnuts for four to 24 weeks. They found that participants on a high-walnut
diet underwent significant decreases in total and LDL ("bad")
cholesterol.
"When compared with control
diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol concentrations," the researchers wrote.
The researchers also found other indicators that even though a high-walnut diet is high in
fat, it seems to lower the risk of
cardiovascular disease rather than raising it.
"Other
results reported in the trials indicated that walnuts provided significant benefits for certain
antioxidant capacity and inflammatory markers and had no adverse effects on body weight," the researchers wrote.
The researchers called for "larger and longer-term trials" to further understand the heart
benefits of nut-rich diets.
Prior studies have linked diets high in
nuts and berries to a reduced
risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms related to cardiovascular
disease. Other nuts previously linked to improved cardiovascular health include macadamia nuts and almonds.
Diets high in walnuts may also reduce the risk of breast cancer, studies show.
Sources for this story include:
www.foodnavigator-usa.com.
www.ajcn.org.
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