1. Walnuts Can Lower Cholesterol
Loma Linda University research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compares the effects of walnuts and fatty fish in the fight against heart disease, demonstrating that in healthy individuals, walnuts lower cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish lowers triglycerides. Both can reduce the overall risk of coronary heart disease.

“The practical significance of the study is that eating an easy-to-incorporate amount of walnuts and fatty fish can cause meaningful decreases in blood cholesterol and triglycerides even in healthy individuals,” says lead author Sujatha Rajaram, PhD, associate professor in the department of nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

Following the qualified health claim issued by the Food and Drug Administration, researchers found that incorporating approximately 1.5 ounces of walnuts (42 grams, a handful of whole nuts or about three tablespoons of chopped nuts) into the daily diet lowered serum total cholesterol by 5.4 percent and LDL (bad) cholesterol by 9.3 percent compared to a control diet based on USDA recommendations.

Using American Heart Association guidelines, the researchers also found that a diet including two servings of fatty fish per week (roughly four ounces each as recommended by the AHA for individuals without heart disease) decreased triglyceride levels by 11.4 percent. Additionally, it increased HDL (good) cholesterol by 4 percent, but also slightly increased LDL (bad) cholesterol compared to the control diet. The fish used in this study was salmon.

“Both plant- and marine-derived omega-3 fats are cardioprotective, and since they seem to be effective for lowering different risk factors, it would be prudent to include both in the diet,” says Dr. Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, one of the authors of the study and chair of the department of nutrition. Dr. Rajaram adds, “Individuals should strive to include a plant source of omega-3 fat in their diet, like walnuts, and also a marine source of omega-3 fat. If fatty fish is not a preferred option for marine-derived omega-3 fat, other options include microalgae oil or DHA-enriched eggs.”

2. Eating Walnuts Can Improve Bone Health
Published in the January 16, 2007, edition of Nutrition Journal Penn State clinical research suggests walnuts, rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid, are beneficial to the skeletal system by decreasing the breakdown of bone. This is the first human study evaluating the effect of plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) on bone health. The results suggest higher consumption of ALA leads to a reduction in bone turnover, and a shift in the balance of bone degradation/formation toward formation.

3. Landmark Clinical Study Suggests Including Walnuts May Cut Risk of Heart Disease by 50%
In what’s being hailed as one of the world's largest and longest dietary intervention studies, early results indicate that the so-called Mediterranean diet may reduce the risks of heart attack and cardiovascular disease by up to one half. In an article entitled “Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on Cardiovascular Risk Factors,” reported in the July 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers note that high risk participants who improved their diet with vegetables, legumes, olive oil or nuts, especially walnuts, showed lower blood pressure, improved lipid profiles, decreased insulin resistance and reduced concentrations of inflammatory molecules compared with those allocated to a low-fat diet (American Heart Association guidelines).

“The early results of this clinical trial indicate that the Mediterranean diet pattern is ideal for cardiovascular disease prevention. What we knew before was scattered pieces of evidence from prospective studies. The primary endpoint of this long-term study will be a composite outcome of cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke). The results to date make us believe, long term, the Mediterranean diet enriched with walnuts or olive oil will indeed reduce heart disease.

The size, duration and clinical basis of this study make it landmark,” said Dr. Emilio Ros, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, and PREDIMED study co-investigator. The investigators of this 4-year clinical study being conducted under the sponsorship of the Spanish Ministry of Health reviewed the effects of the diet on almost 800 men and women aged 55 to 80 years. Each participant had either diabetes or three or more cardiovascular risk factors: family history of early-onset heart disease, excessive weight, smoking, hypertension, or high blood cholesterol levels.  Researchers maintain that the early results of this clinical trial suggest that the Mediterranean diet pattern is ideal for cardiovascular disease reduction.

4.Eating Walnuts Protects Heart Against Short-Term Damage From Saturated Fat
A clinical study published in the October 17, 2006 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in Barcelona, Spain suggests that walnuts, rich in polyunsaturated fats, may protect the body’s arteries from the harm associated with eating a meal high in saturated fat. Adding olive oil, known for its monounsaturated fats, does not appear to provide the same type of vascular benefits.

Consumption of a meal high in saturated fat typically causes an inflammatory response in the body that negatively impacts the ability of the arteries to carry necessary blood to tissue and organs and promotes the formation of artery clogging plaque. This response was limited by adding walnuts to such a meal.

“Many people forget that walnuts are an important part of the Mediterranean diet, providing numerous health benefits,” said Dr. Emilio Ros, director of the Lipid Clinic at Hospital Clinico in Barcelona. In fact, “walnuts, unlike olive oil and other nuts, contain significant amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential plant based omega-3. They also provide antioxidants and L-arginine, components identified in past studies as potential nutrients that improve artery function,” noted Ros.

The findings of this study should not give consumers the green light to consume a diet high in saturated fat. “Consumers would get the wrong message from our findings if they think they can continue eating unhealthy fats provided they add walnuts to their meals,” said Ros. Instead, he believes that “people should consume a typical Mediterranean diet low in saturated fats and high in foods containing polyunsaturated fats, such as walnuts.”

5. Walnuts May Help Prevent Breast Cancer
Walnut consumption may provide the body with essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009.   Molecular analysis showed that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids contributed to the decline in tumor incidence, but other parts of the walnut contributed as well.

"With dietary interventions you see multiple mechanisms when working with the whole food," said Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine. "It is clear that walnuts contribute to a healthy diet that can reduce breast cancer."

6. Walnuts Prove Protective for People with Type 2 Diabetes
A new study done in Australia shows that eating a handful of walnuts every day can help patients with type 2 diabetes achieve recommended intakes for polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as omega-3s), critical to protecting the heart. Findings of this study are published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA), under the title, "Structured Dietary Advice Incorporating Walnuts Achieves Optimal Fat and Energy Balance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus."

Commenting on this study, Marion J. Franz, MS, RD, LD, CDE, former director of nutrition and health professional education at the International Diabetes Center, says, "It is important and challenging for people with type 2 diabetes to eat the right types and balance of fats. The fact that achieving nutrition goals became easier by including walnuts is helpful and useful news for persons with diabetes, and the clinicians and diabetes educators who provide nutrition counsel."

Eating walnuts as part of one's overall diet has been trumpeted again for people developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - this time with a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study follows another report published late last year in the international journal, Diabetes Care, which highlighted the importance of eating a handful of walnuts a day. Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats, Omega oils and vitamins.

PhD student, Ms Lynda Gillen, from the Smart Foods Centre at the University of Wollongong, was the lead author of the latest research paper in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA). The paper is online at www.eatright.org (then click on the link to ADA Journal) and is titled "Structured Dietary Advice Incorporating Walnuts Achieves Optimal Fat and Energy Balance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus". Her paper concluded that clinicians and dietitians should be advising people to include walnuts as part of their total diet.

"This will help achieve optimal fat intake proportions without adverse effects on total fat or energy intakes in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus," Ms Gillen said.

She went on to say  the intake of 30 grams of walnuts a day in conjunction with 350g of oily fish a week enabled achievement of recommendations on the type of fat in an energy-controlled diet for the management of diabetes.

"In this way, individuals consuming walnuts were more likely to achieve a beneficial fat profile than those consuming a larger quantity of oily fish (500g/wk) or those following standard 'low fat' advice," she said.

The walnut group used in the study achieved targeted fat proportions earlier (at three months) than the other two dietary intervention groups and maintained them for longer (at six months).

"It was clear that the combination of walnuts and oily fish were more effective and more sustainable than a larger intake of fish alone," Ms Gillen said.

She said that after six months, those in the walnut group were consuming almost half their dietary fat intake from polyunsaturated fat-rich foods, with walnuts providing almost one third of total fat intake and one half omega-3 polyunsaturated fat intake. However, in contrast, the low fat advice group continued to consume foods rich in saturated fat as the main sources of fat in the diet.

"Achievement of energy balance despite increased intakes of high fat foods is an important finding in terms of weight management in diabetes," Ms Gillen said.