3. Supports Heart Health
Our hearts also benefit from eating nuts on a regular basis and this is all down to their ability to reduce levels of bad cholesterol.
As we discovered above, the polyphenols found in nuts have an impact on bad, or LDL, cholesterol and help to lower levels of this dangerous type of blood fat, or lipid. In addition to this, compounds in nuts can also increase the particle size of the LDL cholesterol that’s present in the bloodstream. This is emerging science, but it’s thought that the larger the particle size of LDL fats, the less harmful they are.
Not only that, some nuts, including hazelnuts and almonds, can help to raise levels of good, or HDL, cholesterol. It’s thought that this is due to the presence of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Higher levels of good cholesterol have a protective effect on the heart.
Consuming nuts can also have a positive effect on blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a collection of health problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes). This has led researchers to conclude that “nuts have a beneficial impact on many cardiovascular risk factors” which all help to reduce our risk of developing heart disease. A heart healthy food indeed!
