Walnuts: food for heart

Looking for another way to protect your heart? Consider walnuts. They may help keep cholesterol in check, a recent report shows.

Scientists reviewed the results of 13 studies. People in the studies were assigned to either diet high in walnuts or one of several other diets. Those who ate more walnuts had much lower total cholesterol levels than people who were on other diets. Their LDL - often called the 'bad' cholesterol- levels also were lower. And despite being high in some types of fats, results didn't indicate that the walnut-rich diet caused significant weight gain.

Because the findings are based on small, short-term studies, more research is needed. But,researchers concluded that diets with walnuts may help lower cholesterol and provide other heart health benefits. All nuts offer some health benefits, but they're high in calories. Until we know more, it's reasonable to eat small handful of nuts each day or a few times a week.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.