Adding Walnuts to Daily Diet May Help Improve Cholesterol

Walnuts are rich in heart-healthy fats and high in antioxidants. A new study has found that adding walnuts to your daily diet may help improve cholesterol levels.

Participants in the study included 708 adults between the ages of 63 and 79. Half of them added approximately half a cup of walnuts to their usual daily diet for two years. The other half did not consume any walnuts. The researchers evaluated cholesterol levels at baseline and at the end of the study period.

Participants in the walnut group saw an average reduction in LDL cholesterol levels of 4.3 mg/dL and an average reduction in total cholesterol of 8.5 mg/dL. In addition, total LDL particle numbers were reduced by 4.3% and small LDL particles were reduced by 6.1%. In male participants in the walnut group, LDL cholesterol was reduced by 7.9%, compared to 2.6% in female participants.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and Loma Linda University. It was published on August 30, 2021 in the journal Circulation.