Benefits of Nuts
Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet can be good for your heart as most nuts contain at least some of these heart-healthy substances:
- Unsaturated fats: Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts lower bad cholesterol levels.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help your heart by preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks.
- Fibre: All nuts contain fibre, which helps lower cholesterol. Fibre also makes you feel full, so you eat less. Fibre could possibly also play a role in preventing diabetes.
- Vitamin E: Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in the arteries, which can narrow them. Plaque development in the arteries can lead to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.
- Plant sterols: Some nuts naturally contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol.
- L-arginine: Nuts are also a source of l-arginine, which is a substance that may help improve the health of your artery walls by making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that can block blood flow.
Find out more from these sources
- Mayo Clinic
More than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers from Mayo Clinic share their expertise on this website to empower you to manage your health.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/nuts/art-20046635
- Harvard Health Publications
Harvard Health Publications publishes four monthly newsletters--Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Women's Health Watch, Harvard Men's Health Watch, and Harvard Heart Letter--as well as more than 50 special health reports and books drawing on the expertise of the 8,000 faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School and its world-famous affiliated hospitals.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefits_eating_nuts