Walnuts Reduce Effects of High-Fat Meals - New Research Findings

Spanish researchers report that walnuts help protect your arteries by reducing the effects of a high-fat meal. The findings once again support the belief that nuts are an important part of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. The research suggests that walnuts have more positive influence than olive oil. The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fats but high in monosaturated fats.

Eating a high-fat meal tends to stiffen your arteries causing them to be less flexible and less responsive to expansion during exercise; hence, hardening of the arteries occurs over time.

You can read more about the research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology:

Acute Effects of High-Fat Meals Enriched With Walnuts or Olive Oil on Postprandial Endothelial Function (Vol:48 Issue:8 Pages:1666-1671)
Contributor(s): Berenice Cortés BS, Isabel Núñez MD, Montserrat Cofán PhD, Rosa Gilabert MD, PhD, Ana Pérez-Heras RD, et al.
Description: ...Research Diet and Endothelial Function Acute Effects of High-Fat Meals Enriched With walnuts or Olive Oil on Postprandial Endothelial Function Berenice Cortés BS Published Date: 10/17/2006

Hat tip to WebMD for alerting us to these findings. You can read their article here.