Presently, there is a growing interest in the scientific community about the mechanisms that may explain the cardioprotective effects of nuts. Nuts are complex plant foods and a rich source of many nutrients. The matrix of nutrients and bioactive substances present in nuts suggests that multiple mechanisms may exert their beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk.
A number of well controlled clinical trials and other less controlled human nutrition studies indicate that the inclusion of nuts in the diet lowers total and LDL cholesterol blood levels and improves the lipoprotein profile. The cholesterol-lowering effect of nut-rich diets seems to be greater than predicted for their fatty acid composition. Thus, other lesser-known constituents in nuts may have also beneficial effects. Nut-rich diets do not seem to affect body weight. Fewer studies have been conducted on other factors that affect cardiovascular disease risk such as the oxidizability of LDL, lipoprotein (a). Available data, however small, also indicates favorable effects of nuts on them.
Additional research is needed to further understand the
cardioprotective effect of nuts and mechanisms by which nuts may lower
the risk of type 2 diabetes.
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