Walnuts for Your Heart
Evidence continues to mount that eating nuts is not only good for your cholesterol and for your cardiovascular system, but that the common belief that nuts are fattening is wrong. The latest evidence of cardiovascular benefit with no weight gain comes for walnuts. . . .
This controlled study included 97 people and lasted for half a year. They were divided into two groups: one got 56g (about 2 ounces) of walnuts a day and the other didn’t eat any walnuts.
The ones who ate the walnuts had improved blood vessel (endothelial) function and improved LDL cholesterol compared to the no nut control group. There was no significant difference between the walnut eaters and non eaters for body fat or BMI.
This study once again shows that eating nuts, specificallly walnuts this time, could lower your risk of cardiovascular disease without causing any weight gain.
Several previous studies have also shown that walnuts are great for controlling cholesterol (NEJM 1993;328:603-07; FASEB J 1998;12:A506; Ann Intern Med 2000;132:538-46; Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:72-79).