Whole Walnuts and Their Extracted Oil Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

First Posted: May 09, 2013 04:03 PM EDT
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Walnuts are not only delicious to eat but are also the healthiest of all nuts, packed with several health benefits. One of the latest findings produces a strong co-relation between walnut and low cardiovascular risk.

The study, conducted by researchers of Penn State, Tufts University and University of Pennsylvania, suggests that consuming whole walnuts or their extracted oil lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

In a controlled trial, researchers offered 15 participants with high cholesterol one of the four treatments: 85 grams of whole walnut, 6 grams of skin, 34 grams of defatted nutmeat or 51 grams of oil.

Researchers evaluated the biochemical and physiological responses of the participants both before the treatment and after, at different durations ranging from 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, four hours and six hours. The same procedure was repeated for the other three treatments.

They noticed that one-time consumption of the walnut oil affected vascular health. Also, consumption of the whole walnut aided HDL (good cholesterol) function more efficiently, in carrying and eliminating surplus cholesterol from the body.

"Our study showed that the oil found in walnuts can maintain blood vessel function after a meal, which is very important given that blood vessel integrity is often compromised in individuals with cardiovascular disease," said Claire Berryman, graduate student in nutritional sciences, Penn State, in a press statement. "The walnut oil was particularly good at preserving the function of endothelial cells, which play an important role in cardiovascular health."

The researchers explain that walnuts have alphap-linolenic acid, gamma tocopherol and phytosterols, which play a significant role in offering positive effects of the walnut oil treatment.

The study will be published in the 1 June 2013 issue of Journal of Nutrition.

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