TAGS: walnuts, healthy, heart, omega-3s, nuts, food, nutrition

Walnuts are more heart healthy than olive oil. The furrowed, light-brown shelled nut has a wealth of nutritional qualities. Numerous clinical trials document the results of walnuts and the heart. Review a few health incentives to add walnuts to your diet:

Walnuts contain the amino acid, arginine-a key compound for the body's production of nitric oxide. (Nitric oxide helps maintain arterial and blood vessel flexible).>>

Walnuts are categorized as an anti-oxidant.

 Compared to other nuts, walnuts contain an abundance of omega-3s. Moreover, walnuts also possess exorbitant levels of alpha-linolenic-acid. This is the equivalence of the omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon. 

 Walnuts are ideal for low cholesterol diets because they have the ability to decrease “bad” or LDL cholesterol and maintain good levels of HDL cholesterol. 

 In the Journal of the American College of cardiology, the report documents  a clinical trial comparing olive oil and walnuts. The study determined the following:

§  Subsequent to eating a meal high in fat, walnuts are more beneficial than olive oil. 

§  While olive oil and walnuts reduce the immediate inflammation and oxidation that normally follows the consumption of a fattening meal, walnuts were found to preserve blood vessel elasticity—enabling better blood flow. 

 >Holly Bentz (c) 2008 fruitionmedia.net>