What Are The Benefits Of Raw Nuts?

Many types of nuts provide a variety of fats, minerals, antioxidants and vitamin E. These important nutrients, which are often inadequate in people's diets, help reduce risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Raw nuts have a nutritional advantage over roasted, toasted or baked nuts, as cooking destroys some nutrients that are not stable in high heat, such as vitamin E and oils.

Cholesterol

Walnuts and almonds showed greater cholesterol-reducing ability than olive oil, according to a study published in the March 2011 issue of the journal "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases." In this study, participants ate diets enriched with olive oil, walnuts or almonds for four weeks. Olive oil, walnut and almond diets reduced low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the "bad" form of cholesterol, by 7.3 percent, 10.8 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively. The researchers noted that cholesterol decreases were greater than predicted, and that their study confirmed the cholesterol-lowering effects of a nut-rich diet.

Blood Sugar

A study published in the March 2007 issue of the journal "Metabolism" reported that almonds lower blood sugar in addition to cholesterol levels. In the study, a carbohydrate meal taken with 30 g, 60 g or 90 g of almonds reduced the glycemic index -- the speed at which glucose enters the bloodstream after eating a particular food. The researchers concluded that almonds might lower the glycemic index of carbohydrate foods, making them beneficial for prevention of coronary heart disease.

Anitoxidants

Pecans increase antioxidant levels and decrease LDL oxidation following meals, according to a study published in the January 2011 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." The study confirmed that a form of vitamin E and several flavonoid antioxidants shown to be active in test-tube studies also functioned in humans. In the study, a meal that contained pecans doubled the blood concentrations of vitamin E within eight hours and increased a measure of antioxidant capacity by as much as 12 percent. Levels of oxidized lipids also decreased. The researchers concluded the antioxidants in pecans are absorbable and effective at decreasing oxidation that occurs following a meal.

LDL Particles

Hazelnuts help prevent atherosclerosis by inhibiting oxidation of LDL cholesterol, according to a study published in the February 2010 issue of the Turkish journal "Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi." In the study, 1 g per kg body weight a day of hazelnuts for four weeks lowered total cholesterol and increased the amount of the more beneficial large form of LDL compared to the less desirable small-molecule form of LDL. The researchers concluded that hazelnuts may assist in prevention of atherosclerosis by decreasing oxidation of LDL cholesterol and promoting formation of large-molecule LDL.