Eating Walnuts Could Help Prevent Heart Disease

Scientists find regularly eating walnuts could protect against cardiovascular disease

Regularly snacking on walnuts could help prevent heart disease, scientists have found.

The researchers, from Penn State University, found 'significant' improvement in cholesterol levels just four hours after people ate walnuts or walnut oil.

15 participants with high blood cholesterol levels were given four treatments - two handfuls of shelled walnuts, six grams of walnut skin, 34g of nutmeat with the fat removed or three tablespoons of walnut oil.

Scientists looked at their responses after half an hour, one hour, two hours, four hours and six hours, and found one-time consumption of the oil found in walnuts improved blood vessel health quickly.

Dr Penny Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, said: 'Eating shelled walnuts or some walnut oil four times a week will certainly provide very significant benefits. Just a handful could help significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.'

It's now thought this study, the first to identify which parts of a walnut provide a health boost, could lead to improved dietary strategies to fight heart disease, the world's biggest killer.

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