Health: Eating Walnuts Cuts Cholesterol

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Eating Walnuts Cuts Cholesterol

 

http://www.naturaln ews.com/027699_ walnuts_choleste rol.html

 

Thursday, December 10, 2009 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer

 

(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.

 

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