PESHAWAR: Walnuts have numerous health benefits but they are considered to be the best for preventing obesity and now a new research study has found that walnuts also reduce risks of heart disease and stroke.
The medical study conducted by Hospice Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, showed that consuming a small amount of walnuts daily reduces the cholesterol level. The research said that middle-aged people can reduce their harmful cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level if they consume about half a cup of walnuts daily. The study found that walnuts also reduce the number of LDL particles. The high number of LDL particles is responsible for coronary heart diseases.
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The research said that previous research reports have proved that eating nuts, especially walnuts, reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. “The research found that consuming a small amount of walnuts also improves LDL particles quality. THE high volume of LDL particles may stop the flow of blood in the arteries,” the research said.
The research studied a total of 708 healthy individuals who were divided into two groups. One group was provided half cup of walnuts everyday while the other group was kept deprived from it for two years. After two years, the cholesterol level of the participants was examined and it was found that the LDL cholesterol levels of the walnut-consuming group was reduced by an average of 4.3 mg/dL.
Moreover, the study found that that the rate of LDL particles of the walnut-eating group reduced by 4.3 percent and the number of small LDL particles by 6.1%. Thus, it was found that consuming walnut every day reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases. The study further said that the cholesterol level of men in this group reduced by 7.9 percent while cholesterol levels of women declined by 2.6%. The study also revealed that the participants were health and safe against by non-communicable diseases.