Nuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, an antioxidant that reduces inflammation in the body and improves cardiovascular health. With just a handful of nuts daily, you can reduce your risk of blood clots, lower your risk of heart attacks and improve helpful high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, levels while reducing harmful low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, levels, according to World's Healthiest Foods.
Walnuts
Consuming a diet rich in walnuts offers significant improvement in lipid profiles, according to a study published in the October 2006 "Journal of the American College of Cardiology." People with high cholesterol levels who consumed walnuts as part of a Mediterranean diet had lower levels of LDL and total cholesterol, reported the Barcelona, Spain, researchers in the journal. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, compounds in walnuts called ellagic and gallic acid also protect the heart by preventing damage caused by free radicals. About a 1/4 cup of walnuts provides about 91 percent of the daily recommendation for omega-3 fatty acids.
Peanuts
Per 1/4 cup, peanuts provide manganese, tryptophan, niacin, folate, copper and protein, along with resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant thought to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the World's Healthiest Foods. Consuming peanuts also improves cholesterol levels, according to a study in the journal "Public Health Nutrition." In the study, men with high cholesterol levels who ate peanuts for a month experienced significantly reduced LDL cholesterol levels, improved HDL cholesterol levels and a reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years.
Macadamia Nuts
Eating macadamia nuts daily could lower total cholesterol levels as well as LDL levels, according to a study at Pennsylvania State University published in the April 2008 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." Men and women with borderline high cholesterol levels who consumed 1.5 grams of macadamia nuts daily reduced their cholesterol levels compared to people who ate standard American fare. Macadamia nuts are low in artery-clogging saturated fats, but high in unsaturated, heart-healthy fatty acids.
Almonds
Almonds in the diet reduce both total and LDL cholesterol, according to a systematic review of studies published in the September 2005 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." In three studies, people who ate between 50 and 100 g, or 1.5 and 3.5 servings, of almonds daily had between 2 and 19 percent lower LDL levels than people eating a nut-free diet.
References
- World's Healthiest Foods: Walnuts
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Acute Effects of High-fat Meals Enriched with Walnuts or Olive Oil on Postprandial Endothelial Function; B. Cortes, et al.; October 2006
- World's Healthiest Foods: Peanuts
- "Public Health Nutrition"; Peanut Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk; M Ghadami Nouran, et al.; October 2010
- "Journal of Nutrition"; A Macadamia Nut-rich Diet Reduces Total and LDL-cholesterol in Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women; AE Griel, et al.; April 2008
