BeanDiet

If you didn't know nuts protect against heart disease, stay in the dark no more. Yet another study has shown the power of nuts to heal.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (May 2010), titled
Nut Consumption and Blood Lipid Levels reviewed 25 studies in which nuts were consumed by both men and women. To read the abstract yourself, click here.

Eating nuts (of all types) was shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Nut consumption was also shown to lower triglyceride levels in people with high blood triglycerides. The higher a person's LDL cholesterol, the more nuts lowered blood lipids. The more nuts eaten, the greater the effect.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Joan Sabaté, says the power of nuts to lower blood lipids are multiple, since nuts are high in unsaturated fats - including Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fat. In addition, “(nuts) are the richest source of protein in the plant kingdom, and they also contain fiber and phytosterols, which compete with cholesterol to be absorbed. All these nutrients have been demonstrated to lower cholesterol.”

For more good news on nuts (like how people who consume the most nuts are the least likely to be overweight), read my past blog post More Nuts Please.