Walnut-Rich Diet Good for Weight Loss, Improves Cholesterol Level

A new study suggests that eating a walnut-rich diet is efficient for weight loss and improving cholesterol level.

For those struggling to lose weight and lower their cholesterol level, consuming a handful of walnuts is healthy for you. In fact, it is "as effective as low fat diet," Daily Mail Online reported.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association learned that a diet rich in unsaturated fats like those found in walnuts and olive oil has similar weight loss effects as a lower fat, higher carbohydrate diet, EurekAlert has learned.

Cheryl Rock, who is from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that a walnut-rich diet is primarily comprised of polyunsaturated fats that positively impacts the heart health markers, such as cholesterol.

"One of the surprising findings of this study was that even though walnuts are higher in fat and calories, the walnut-rich diet was associated with the same degree of weight loss as a lower fat diet," Rock said.

The team studied 245 overweight and obese women aged 22 years old to 72 years old. The participants were randomly assigned to three different diets: a lower fat and higher carbohydrate diet, a lower carbohydrate and higher fat diet, and walnut-rich, higher fat and lower carbohydrate diet.

Participants under the walnut-rich diet consumed 1.5 ounces per day. The first six months of the study revealed that the average weight loss was nearly eight percent of the initial weight for all groups.

However, those participants under the walnut-rich show the most improvement of cholesterol level, particularly to those who are insulin-resistant, NewsMax reported. The group has a significant decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL) and a greater increase in good cholesterol (HDL) compared to other diet groups.

Walnuts are the only nut which fat is primarily polyunsaturated fat (13g/oz.) with a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-derived form of omega-3 fatty acids (2.5g/oz.).

Per EurekAlert, a research from Harvard revealed that people who consume polyunsaturated fats instead of saturated fats may live longer. Moreover, they are at lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, the study also comes with some limitations. Among the limitations of the study is that they only included women. Thus, the results may not be generalized to men as well.

Moreover, although there were 245 participants, the sample size was reduced because the participants were divided into subgroups. There is also a lack of detailed information about the samples' dietary intake and adherence to the diet.

"In addition to these findings, we hope to explore the effect of walnuts on satiety, as we believe satiety is a critical factor for maintaining weight loss," Rock added.