Men
who eat nuts at least twice a week lower their risk of heart attack by
-
47% These
same men reduced the risk of general coronary heart disease
by -
30% The
reason is because of good nut oils. It doesn't get anymore straight forward than
this.
6
Healthy Nuts -
1. Walnuts:
When it comes to nuts,
the walnut is the king. It's a great source of the healthy omega-3
essential fatty acids, which have been found to protect the heart, promote
better cognitive function, and provide anti-inflammatory benefits for
asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.
Walnuts also contain the antioxidant
compound ellagic acid, which is known to fight cancer and support the
immune system. But that's not all--in a study in the August 2003 issue of
Phytochemistry, researchers identified 16 polyphenols in walnuts,
including three new tannins, with antioxidant activity so powerful they
described it as "remarkable."
Walnuts are incredibly
healthy for the heart. A study in the April 2004 issue of Circulation
found that when walnuts were substituted for about one-third of the
calories supplied by olives and other monounsaturated fats in the
Mediterranean diet:
-
Total cholesterol
and LDL (bad) cholesterol were reduced
-
The elasticity of
the arteries increased by 64 percent
-
Levels of vascular
cell adhesion molecules, which play a major role in the development of
atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), were reduced.
2. Almonds:
Just a quarter cup of
almonds contains nearly 25 percent of your needed daily value of the
important nutrient magnesium, plus is rich in potassium, manganese,
copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and calcium. In fact, a
quarter cup of almonds has almost as much calcium as a quarter cup of
milk.
They're also great for
the colon. An animal study on the effects of almonds on colon cancer found
that animals (which were exposed to a colon-cancer-causing agent) given
whole almonds had fewer signs of colon cancer than animals given almond
oil or no almonds. Researchers suspect the benefit may be due to almonds'
high fiber content.
Plus, almonds are one
of the best nuts for lowering cholesterol because 70 percent of the fat
they contain is the healthy monounsaturated variety, which has been shown
to help clear arteries.
3. Cashews:
Cashews are lower in
fat than most nuts, and 65 percent of this fat is unsaturated fatty acids.
Of this, 90 percent is oleic acid, the heart-healthy fat found in olive
oil.
Plus, cashews are rich
in copper, magnesium, zinc, iron and biotin.
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