Walnuts Lower Cholesterol

Walnuts aren't just weapons anymore.

In fact, they may well play a significant part in lowering cholesterol.

You see, Spanish researchers in 2004 fed people with high cholesterol a heart-healthy diet (vegetables, fish, very little red meat or eggs, and olive oil as the only cooking fat) for 12 weeks.

The small study, conducted at the Lipid Clinic in Barcelona, substituted walnuts for about one-third of the calories from olives, olive oil, and other monounsaturated fats in a Mediterranean diet.

Walnuts were found to increase the elasticity of arteries by 64 per cent, and to reduce cell adhesion molecules associated with hardening of the arteries by 20 per cent.

Though LDL cholesterol levels dropped during both halves of the 12 weeks, they dropped significantly more during the walnut weeks.

"These results came from only eight to 11 walnuts a day," says Joan Sabate, M.D., Dr.P.H., the study author, from Loma Linda University in California.

It's possible that a combo of monounsaturated fats (olive oil) and polyunsaturated fats (walnuts) whacks cholesterol.

Consequently, if you haven't already, you may soon see claims on walnuts stating: "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."

So add some walnuts to your diet, for Pete's sake.

Chet "Walnuts Lower Cholesterol" Day
Editor, The Natural Health Circus
http://chetday.com