Walnuts, Nitric Oxide, and the Heart
Good news for my mother-in-law who loves nuts of all kinds. Recent research (funded by the California Walnut Commission) suggests that walnuts may help reduce inflammation and oxidation in heart arteries to a greater extent than olive oil.
In this small study of 24 adults, half of whom had normal cholesterol and half with moderately high cholesterol, a meal of high-fat salami and cheese (yum!) was supplemented with olive oil or walnuts. Both olive oil and walnuts helped to reduce the negative effects of the high fat meal. Walnuts, however, appear to be more effective because they contain:
- Arginine, an amino acid used by the body to produce nitric oxide, a molecule that helps protect the heart.
- Antioxidants
- Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid with health giving properties.
But I also think there’s one other reason nuts are good for you. A handful of walnuts, another handful of pecans and you’d be too full for that big plate of french fries.
BBC News, October 10, 2006
Tags: cardiovascular-disease, diseases, food, health, heart, heart-disease, Hearty Diet, illness, nitric-oxide, nuts, olive-oil, pecans, walnutsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Hearty Diet
4 opinions for Walnuts, Nitric Oxide, and the Heart
Health Pundits » Blog Archive » Nitric Oxide: Do African Americans Suffer?
Oct 20, 2006 at 6:48 am
[…] Tadeusz Malinski examined the blood vessel cells of 12 white and 12 black healthy female subjects. Using a system of nanosensors, they discovered that the cardiovascular systems of African-American subjects as young as 20 years of age could show signs of an unbalanced nitric oxide system that could become increasingly worse as they grow older, according to research published in a recent issue of Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. […]
Study: Walnuts help protect arteries after fatty meals at Fresh. Healthy. Useful.
Nov 4, 2006 at 12:13 am
[…] Walnuts, Nitric Oxide, and the Heart […]
Marine Engineers Beneficial Association
Sep 28, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Oxides can really damage the heart from what my medic says. It’s really important to take care of it well how else could you manage to live ? I think there are few persons who don’t care for their lives.
Narrow boat holidays
Dec 17, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Very few studies have evaluated gamma-tocopherol in the body, but those that have suggest that it may have potent physiological actions. While both alpha- and gamma-tocopherol are potent antioxidants, gamma-tocopherol has a unique function. Because of its different chemical structure, gamma-tocopherol scavenges reactive nitrogen species, which, like reactive oxygen species, can damage proteins, lipids, and DNA.
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