Healthy Heart

Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health

Whether roasted or raw, walnuts are the best nuts and have an abundance of heart healthy nutrients. In a recent study, researchers compared the amount of polyphenols — the powerful antioxidants — in nine types of roasted and raw nuts. They also measured the amount of these antioxidants in two types of peanut butter. Researchers also tested the effectiveness of these antioxidants with respect to health of the heart. The results clearly show that the winner among the nuts as walnuts and the report is published in the journal, Food and Function.

Walnuts have very high levels of polyphenols, which reduces the risk of heart disease by lowering the levels of blood cholesterol, improving the blood flow, and reducing the inflammation that may lead to heart disease. Researchers add that walnuts have the most potent polyphenols among all other nuts considered in the study.