Eating walnuts and walnut oils slashes heart disease risk by improving multiple biometrics

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 by: John Phillip
Tags: walnuts, walnut oil, cardiovascular health

(NaturalNews) The impact of eating nuts has been evident for the past decade as repeated scientific studies confirm that the omega-3 fats in this tasty nut promote cardiovascular health as they improve cholesterol biomarkers. Walnuts provide healthy doses of essential minerals, fiber and vitamins to help promote heart health and also supply the long chain fatty acids DHA and EPA, though the body must convert them to a more bioavailable form through a multi-step process.

A research team from Penn State, Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania now provide evidence to support past studies and expand our current understanding about the importance of this tree nut to improve vascular function. Publishing in the Journal of Nutrition, scientists have found that consumption of whole walnuts or their extracted oil can reduce cardiovascular risk through a mechanism other than simply lowering cholesterol. Walnuts are part of a host of natural foods known to lower the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure, improving endothelial function and improving blood lipids.

One of the study authors, Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton commented "We already know that eating walnuts in a heart-healthy diet can lower blood cholesterol levels... but, until now, we did not know what component of the walnut was providing this benefit. Now we understand additional ways in which whole walnuts and their oil components can improve heart health." The team found that the essential oils in walnuts and walnut oils help to preserve blood vessel wall elasticity and can provide health-promoting effects within thirty minutes after consumption.

Walnuts and walnut oils improve endothelial function and cholesterol metabolism to reduce heart disease risk

Penn State researchers studied 15 participants diagnosed with elevated blood cholesterol levels and provided them with one of four drug-free treatments: Eating 85 grams of plain, whole walnuts, six grams of walnut skins, 34 grams of walnut meat with the fat removed, or 51 grams of essential walnut oil. Biochemical and psychological responses were recorded before nut consumption and again at one-, two-, four- and six-hour intervals to determine how walnuts affect critical cardiovascular biomarkers.

The team determined that each group exhibited a 'positive' response to consuming each of the different parts of the nut and its oils. Eating walnuts most significantly influenced the production of HDL cholesterol, a biomarker closely associated with removal of excess oxidized levels of cholesterol from the blood.

The study authors concluded "The science around HDL functionality is very new, so to see improvements in this outcome with the consumption of whole walnuts is promising and worth investigating further... walnut oil was particularly good at preserving the function of endothelial cells, which play an important role in cardiovascular health." Eating a handful of walnuts every day will provide a measurable degree of cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Sources for this article include:

http://jn.nutrition.org

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616506

http://www.medicaldaily.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260288.php

About the author:
John Phillip is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.