Walnuts May Help Lower Cholesterol

A handful of walnuts a day could keep diabetes away according to a recent study. They had been selected based on a single criterion: the fact that they all had a high likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. It reduces cholesterol and adds a unique quality to any diet and is a rich source of vitamin E and essential fatty acids.

These nuts, however, are also full of calories, which led researchers to be concerned about the possible weight gain that the participants in the study may experience.

The study included 31 men and 81 women between the ages of 25 and 75 who were at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The participants were at first randomly divided into two groups: they were at first assigned dietary counseling meant to either curb their total calorie intake or to maintain their total calorie intake. After that some of the participants from each group have been given to eat 2 ounces of walnuts daily for a period of six months. So the question was, if we tell people to eat nuts every day, will they over time start to gain weight?

While results across both groups showed no improvement in blood pressure, blood glucose, or “good” HDL cholesterol, researchers did conclude that the quality of participants’ diets improved overall in the walnut-eating group, with a healthier diet associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. David Katz, the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby, Connecticut and lead author of the study, said that walnuts are extremely nutritious.

The markers were as follows: dietary intake, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (glucose measured after 8 hours of fasting), cholesterol and HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin – this marker gives an indication of average glucose levels over prolonged periods).

After taking account of influential factors, such as age, calorie and fatty acid intakes, and the amount of regular exercise taken, the analysis indicated, unsurprisingly, that adding walnuts to the daily diet was associated with improved diet quality. They also experienced improvements in their bad cholesterol.

However, those of the subjects who limited their calories consumption seemed to have lost weight and the circumference of their waist decreased.

It was determined that those who had incorporated walnuts into their daily food intake had improved their blood vessel function, and had also been eating much more healthily, by removing harmful foods from their diets.

Packed with important nutrients such as heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3s, fibres, vitamins, protein and minerals, walnuts help lower total cholesterol levels in the body and thus reduce the chances of a person getting a heart attack.

The team also found that people who ate walnuts but did not receive diet counseling saw an increase in their body fat.