Walnuts are not only good for cooking – they are healthy nuts that can also help your heart. The discovery of the benefits of walnuts come from many clinical studies performed by various research institutions all over the world, including Loma Linda in 1993 and Harvard in 2002. The results show consuming walnuts is beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels. Walnuts are also noted for reducing the risk of heart disease and inflammation.
Why walnuts? Well, walnuts demonstrate heart-healthy benefits due to the presence of high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce triglycerides levels and slightly reduce LDL levels (low-density lipoproteins, also known as the bad cholesterol). In fact, walnuts contain the highest amount of omega-3-fatty acids in 1 ounce of nuts (i.e. one handful) in comparison to other nuts (2.5 g of omega-3-fatty acids versus less than 0.5 g found in other nuts).
Walnuts also contain phytosterols, which also appear to lower LDL cholesterol levels. If all of that isn’t enough to entice you, in addition to heart-healthy ingredients, walnuts also contain a wealth of other nutrients, including vitamin E, the B vitamins, fiber, and several minerals.
Many studies on walnuts suggest that you only need to consume a handful of walnuts each day to receive the cholesterol-lowering benefits of these tree nuts.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recognizing the cholesterol-lowering properties of walnuts, accepted a petition filed by the California Walnut Commission in March 2004 to list the health claim that walnuts can aid in reducing cholesterol levels on product labels. So now on every bag of walnuts you purchase you will see the following statement: “supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 oz of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. See nutrition information for fat [and calorie] content.”
The bottom line is that walnuts are a healthy snack packed with important nutrients that can help keep cholesterol levels – and your heart – healthy. It’s amazing that most studies have shown that it takes only one handful daily to achieve this beneficial effect.
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