Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health

Eating nuts helps your heart. Discover how walnuts, almonds and other nuts help lower your cholesterol when eaten as part of a balanced diet.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet can be good for your heart. Nuts, which contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients, are a great snack food, too. They're inexpensive, easy to store and easy to take with you to work or school.

The type of nut you eat isn't that important, although some nuts have more heart-healthy nutrients and fats than do others. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts — you name it — almost every type of nut has a lot of nutrition packed into a tiny package. If you have heart disease, eating nuts instead of a less healthy snack can help you more easily follow a heart-healthy diet.

Can eating nuts help your heart?

People who eat nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower the LDL, low-density lipoprotein or "bad," cholesterol level in their blood. High LDL is one of the primary causes of heart disease.

Eating nuts reduces your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack. Nuts also improve the health of the lining of your arteries. The evidence for the heart-healthy benefits of nuts isn't rock solid — the Food and Drug Administration only allows food companies to say evidence "suggests but does not prove" that eating nuts reduces heart disease risk.

What's in nuts that's thought to be heart healthy?

Although it varies by nut, most nuts contain at least some of these heart-healthy substances:

  • Unsaturated fats. It's not entirely clear why, but it's thought that the "good" fats in nuts — both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — 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, among other things, preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in many kinds of fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Fiber. All nuts contain fiber, which helps lower your cholesterol. Fiber also makes you feel full, so you eat less. Fiber is also thought to play a role in preventing diabetes.
  • Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them. Plaque development in your arteries can lead to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.
  • Plant sterols. Some nuts contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol. Plant sterols are often added to products like margarine and orange juice for additional health benefits, but sterols occur naturally in nuts.
  • 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.
Next page
(1 of 2)
References
  1. Kris-Etherton PM, et al. The role of tree nuts and peanuts in the prevention of coronary heart disease: Multiple potential mechanisms. Journal of Nutrition. 2008;138:1746S.
  2. Lopez-Uriarte P, et al. Nuts and oxidation: A systematic review. Nutrition Reviews. 2009;67:497.
  3. Sabate J, et al. Nut consumption and blood lipid levels: A pooled analysis of 25 intervention trials. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2010;170:821.
  4. Djousse L, et al. Nut consumption and risk of hypertension in U.S. male physicians. Clinical Nutrition. 2010;28:10.
  5. Djousse L, et al. Nut consumption and risk of heart failure in the physicians' health study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;88:930.
  6. Djousse L, et al. Nut consumption and risk of stroke in U.S. male physicians. Clinical Nutrition. 2010;29:605.
  7. King JC, et al. Tree nuts and peanuts as components of a healthy diet. Journal of Nutrition. 2008;138:1736S.
  8. Almonds, raw. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  9. Almonds, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  10. Brazil nuts, dried, unblanched. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  11. Cashew nuts, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  12. Chestnuts, European, roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  13. Hazelnuts or filberts, raw. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  14. Hazelnuts or filberts, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  15. Macadamia nuts, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  16. Macadamia nuts, raw. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  17. Pecans, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  18. Pistachio nuts, dry roasted, without salt added. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  19. Walnuts, English. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  20. Vegetable oil, coconut. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  21. Peanuts, all types, dry roasted without salt. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  22. Frequently asked questions: USDA nutrient database. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=6233. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  23. A food labeling guide, XII. Appendix D: Qualified health claims. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064923.htm. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
HB00085 Feb. 4, 2011

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger