The study analyzed data from 25 clinical trials conducted around the world involving 583 women and men. All the studies looked at people with differing levels of cholesterol, that were not taking cholesterol medications.
Those who were asked to eat nuts ate about 2.4 ounces per day. The trials lasted between three and eight weeks.
Researchers discovered the nut eaters saw an average:
- 5.1 per cent reduction in total cholesterol concentration
- 7.4 per cent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol)
- 8.3 per cent change in ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol).
And it didn't matter what kind of nuts they ate; the more they ate, the lower their cholesterol levels became.
Nuts are rich in plant sterols, natural compounds that might help lower cholesterol by interfering with cholesterol absorption. They're also rich in plant proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and other compounds, such as antioxidants. The researchers say their results suggest that eating nuts is an easy way to help improve blood cholesterol levels.
"Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," they write in the study.
But, it gets better than that.
Eating more nuts provides more cardiovascular benefits than just lowering cholesterol.
"Nut consumption exerts beneficial effects by improving endothelial function, lowering oxidative stress, and reducing lipoprotein(a) level," they write.
"As well, nut consumption is linked with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and research has shown that frequent nut consumption does not lead to weight gain."
