Nuts provide generous doses of vitamin E, fiber, and antioxidants. Though some people might shy away from these crunchy treats due to their high fat content, keep in mind that the fat they do hold isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, nuts give us omega-3 fatty acids, which are extremely healthy for the human body. Nuts can also decrease low-density lipoproteins, also known as LDL or "bad cholesterol."
Nuts and Cholesterol
The most beneficial nuts for lowering LDL levels, as stated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2003 are: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. The FDA claimed in the same year that "scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 oz. per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Almonds
In 2002, the American Heart Association published the results of a study on almonds and cholesterol. The experiment included 27 healthy individuals, both men and women, around the age of 64 who were given 73 g of almonds every day for a month. This amount was cut in half by the second month, and by the third month, the participants replaced their almonds with whole-wheat muffins. The results showed that bad cholesterol decreased by 9.4 percent in the first month, and 4.4 percent the second month when the amount of almonds was reduced. The study reported that such results were likely a result of the high amounts of fiber and proteins found in almonds.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are another source for lowering cholesterol. In a study published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2010, 48 healthy men and women replaced their normal snack foods with 30 g of hazelnuts daily, all of which were eaten raw. By the end of the 16-week study, 46 of the participants remained. They showed a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 10 to 15 percent and a drastic decrease in levels of LDL cholesterol. Researchers of the study have suggested that hazelnuts carry "fighting powers" against LDL because of their high nutritional values, including their unsaturated fatty acids.
Walnuts
Walnuts can also lower cholesterol. One experiment conducted by the Department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in 2002 supports this. Results were reported in the "U.S. National Library of Medicine" in 2002. The study included 67 participants, all of whom were on the brink of high cholesterol. For six weeks, they were given 64 g of walnuts every day, along with a diet low in fat and cholesterol. By the end of six weeks, the participants showed a decrease in LDL, as well as an increase in high-density cholesterol (HDL), or "good cholesterol."
References
- Mayo Clinic: Cholesterol Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Qualified Health Claims -- Nuts & Heart Disease
- American Heart Association: Dose Response of Almonds on Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effects of different forms of hazelnuts on blood lipids and α-tocopherol concentrations in mildly hypercholesterolemic individuals; SL Tey; 2010
- Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Medicine: Effects of Walnut Consumption as Part of a Low-fat, Low-cholesterol Diet on Serum Cardiovascular Risk Factors
