Eating walnuts daily decreases LDL levels, says study
Posted on: 07/Apr/2016 10:39:53 AM
A new study conducted by researchers at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in Spain has said that, among older adults, daily consumption of walnuts may impact blood cholesterol levels in a positive way, and that it will not have adverse effects on body weight.
707 healthy older adults were told to add daily doses of walnuts to their usual diet, or to consume their usual diet without nuts. Extra information about calories and macronutrient intake was not given. Results of tests after one year found that both diets had minimal effect on body weight, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or good) cholesterol. However, there was a significant reduction in the low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the people who consumed walnuts.
Speaking about the study, the researchers said, Given walnuts are a high-energy food, a prevailing concern has been that their long term consumption might be associated with weight gain. The preliminary results of the Walnuts and Healthy Ageing (WAHA) study demonstrates that daily consumption of walnuts for one year by a sizable cohort of ageing free-living persons has no adverse effects on body weight. They also show that the well-known cholesterol-lowering effect of walnut diets works equally well in the elderly and is maintained in the long term. As we continue the WAHA study, we will assess how walnut consumption may affect, among other outcomes, cognitive decline and age-related macular degeneration, conditions that were major public health concerns.
