How Many Walnuts Should You Eat A Day To Lower Cholesterol?
The researchers found that participants’ total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels fell significantly when they ate walnuts every day. Moreover, their weight remained stable whether or not they reduced other calories.
Another study found that consuming 1/2 a cup of ground walnuts (43 g) for 8 weeks helped to lower the risk of coronary heart disease. ( 22) Apart from eating several walnuts a day, find out what else you can eat to improve your cardiac health.
At those visits, the researchers also evaluated the quality of their diets using the Healthy Eating Index 2010. The researchers found that participants’ total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels fell significantly when they ate walnuts every day. Moreover, their weight remained stable whether or not they reduced other calories.
( 39) One serving of 14 walnut halves contains small amounts of vitamin C, E, K, and B-group vitamins. All of these are essential for skin care. Also, minerals found in walnuts like selenium, copper, and zinc help to reduce the visible appearance of aging.
How long did the walnut diet last?
One group was also told to eat 366 fewer calories from other food to compensate for the calories added by the walnuts. Both groups ate the walnuts for six months, and their customary diet without walnuts for another six months.
However, adding walnuts had no effect on blood sugar levels or blood pressure. The study was published online Nov. 23, 2015, by BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care. Nuts are a healthy and potentially guilt-free snack. If you’re trying to lower your cholesterol, a handful of walnuts a day is worth a try.
Walnuts are loaded with folate, vitamin E, and lots of good fats. Although they are also high in calories, they don’t seem to contribute to weight gain. Researchers at Yale University Prevention Research Center wanted to determine if eating walnuts daily could help people at risk for diabetes control their cholesterol and blood sugar.
Why are walnuts good for you?
Walnuts are also noted for reducing the risk of heart disease and inflammation.
Omega-3-fatty acids reduce triglycerides levels and slightly reduce LDL levels (low-density lipoproteins, also known as the bad cholesterol). In fact, walnuts contain the highest amount of omega-3-fatty acids in 1 ounce of nuts (i.e. one handful) in comparison to other nuts (2.5 g of omega-3-fatty acids versus less than 0.5 g found in other nuts).
6  In addition to this, many studies have elucidated the benefits of consuming walnuts and other omega-3 fatty acid-containing foods, citing that consuming high amounts of these products reduced the risk of stroke and clogging of arteries.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recognizing the cholesterol-lowering properties of walnuts, accepted a petition filed by the California Walnut Commission in March 2004 to list the health claim that walnuts can aid in reducing cholesterol levels on product labels. 1 
Ali, MD, MSCI, is a board-certified preventive cardiologist and lipidologist. Dr. Ali is also an award-winning writer. Walnuts are not only good for cooking – they are healthy nuts that can also help your heart.
Phytosterols appear to slightly lower LDL cholesterol levels, however, the mechanism by which it does this is not entirely known.