HYDERABAD: An updated systematic review from Harvard University examines 25 years of evidence for the role of walnut consumption on cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and weight.
1 The original meta-analysis, “Effects of walnut consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis and systematic review,” was published in 2009 and reviewed13 trials representing 365 individuals.
2 Researchers evaluated clinical trials that have published since then and released an updated review that now includes twice the number of trials and represents about three times the number of individuals, compared to the initial publication. Findings from the meta-analysis suggest that walnut-enriched diets may lead to significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B, compared to control diets.
Commenting on the power of walnuts, Dr Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer of the Cleveland Clinic said, “This updated review further strengthens the case that enjoying walnuts is a great (and tasty) way to add important nutrients to your diet while supporting the health of your heart. Walnuts have been investigated for their potential benefits on a variety of health outcomes, including cancer, gut health, diabetes, cognitive function, and male reproductive health, but the strongest evidence exists for cardiovascular benefits. Adding a handful (28 grams) of walnuts to the daily diet regime will definitely enhance perfect heart health and longevity.”
Researchers examined 26 randomised controlled trials representing 1059 participants (22-75 years old), including those with a variety of conditions such as high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, overweight or obesity, as well as those that were healthy. Walnut-enriched diets varied in amounts ranging from 5-24 percent of total calories per day (equivalent to 0.5-3.9 ounces per day) and were compared to control diets, including low-fat, Mediterranean, or a traditional American or Japanese diet. When compared to control diets, a diet supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater percent decrease in total cholesterol (3.25%), LDL cholesterol (3.73%), triglycerides (5.52%), and apolipoprotein B (4.19%). (Apolipoprotein B is the primary protein found in LDL cholesterol.) In addition, incorporating walnuts into the diet had no adverse effects on body weight or blood pressure, according to the studies included in the meta-analysis.