In a new study from the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, researchers found adding a fistful of walnuts to your daily diet – no matter what else you eat – could lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce heart risks in otherwise healthy older adults.
They found people who ate about half a cup of walnuts every day for two years modestly lowered their LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels as well as the number of LDL particles linked to heart disease risk.
Previous studies show walnuts, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids, are associated with lower rates of heart disease and stroke, as are nuts in general.
In the study, the team examined 708 adults ages 63 to 79 who were split into two groups.
One added a half-cup of walnuts every day to their regular diet for two years. The other group ate no walnuts. Participants lived in Barcelona, Spain and Loma Linda, California.
At the end of two years, researchers analyzed LDL cholesterol because high levels raise the risk for heart disease and stroke.
They looked at total LDL levels as well as the concentration and size of LDL particles, which can provide a better indication of the risk to cardiovascular health.
Of the 628 people who completed the study with full lipoprotein profiles, researchers found the walnut-eaters lowered LDL levels an average of 4.3 mg/dL.
They also reduced the number of total LDL particles by 4.3% and small particles by 6.1%.
The benefit was greater in men, who lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.9% compared to a 2.6% drop for women. Results were consistent independent of what else participants ate or where they lived.
The team says although the drop in LDL wasn’t tremendous, the average cholesterol of study participants was already normal because nearly half were receiving cholesterol-lowering treatment.
For individuals with high blood cholesterol levels, the LDL cholesterol reduction after a nut-enriched diet may be much greater.
Intermediate density lipoprotein, or IDL cholesterol, also decreased in the walnut group.
In the past decade, IDL cholesterol – a precursor to LDL, short for low-density lipoprotein – has emerged as another independent cardiovascular risk factor.
The team says despite concerns over potential weight gain from healthy fat in the nuts, those who ate walnuts did not put on extra pounds. Eating a handful of walnuts every day is a simple way to promote heart health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about this sleep issue may strongly harm your heart and findings of this common drug may increase heart disease risk.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about these foods may increase risks of heart disease and results showing that this popular diet could prevent or even reverse heart failure.
The study is published in Circulation. One author of the study is Dr. Emilio Ros.
Copyright © 2021 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
