Health of 'Mediterranean Diet' due to the nut content

[Guest guest]

Walnuts 'combat unhealthy fats'

 

The new superfood?

Eating walnuts at the end of a meal may help cut the damage that

fatty food can do to the arteries, research suggests.

It is thought that the nuts are rich in compounds that reduce

hardening of the arteries, and keep them flexible.

 

A team from Barcelona's Hospital Clinico recommend eating an ounce

(28g) of walnuts a day.

 

The study, which appears in the Journal of the American College of

Cardiology, also showed walnuts had more health benefits than olive

oil.

 

The protective fat from walnuts actually undoes some of the

detrimental effects of a high-saturated-fat diet

 

Professor Robert Vogel

 

The researchers recruited 24 adults, half with normal cholesterol

levels, and half with levels that were moderately high to the

research, which was partly funded by the California Walnut

Commission.

 

Each was given two high-fat salami and cheese meals, eaten one week

apart.

 

For one meal, the researchers added five teaspoons of olive oil. For

the other, they added eight shelled walnuts.

 

Tests showed that both the olive oil and the walnuts helped to reduce

the sudden onset of harmful inflammation and oxidation in arteries

that follows a meal high in saturated fat.

 

Over time, this is thought to cause the arteries to start to harden -

and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

 

However, unlike olive oil, adding walnuts also helped preserve the

elasticity and flexibility of the arteries, regardless of cholesterol

level.

 

Arteries that are elastic can expand when needed to increase blood

flow.

 

Lead researcher Dr Emilio Ros said eating high fat meals disrupted

production of nitric oxide by the inner lining of the arteries, a

chemical needed to keep blood vessels flexible.

 

Key chemical

 

Walnuts contain arginine, an amino acid used by the body to produce

nitric oxide.

 

The nuts also contain antioxidants and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a

plant-based omega-3 fatty acid with health giving properties.

 

Dr Ros is starting a new trial to see whether the ALA in walnuts can

help people with abnormal heart rhythms.

 

He warned against people assuming they can eat what they like so long

as they accompany it with walnuts.

 

" Instead, they should consider making walnuts part of a healthy diet

that limits saturated fats. "

 

Professor Robert Vogel, of Maryland University in Baltimore,

said: " This demonstrates that the protective fat from walnuts

actually undoes some of the detrimental effects of a high-saturated-

fat diet, whereas a neutral fat, such as olive oil, does not have as

much protective ability.

 

" This raises a very interesting issue because many people who eat a

Mediterranean diet believe the olive oil is providing the benefits.

 

" But this research and other data indicate that's not true.

 

" There are probably other factors in the diet, including that it is a

relatively rich source of nuts.

 

" This is not to say that olive oil is bad, but it's not the key

protective factor in the Mediterranean diet. "