While studying for my Cardiovascular Nutrition and Fitness Course, I came across an interesting piece of information about nuts. First, if you know me at all, you’ll know I have 5-6 glass jars of various nuts on my kitchen counter. I’ve included nuts as an integral part of my nutrition for over a decade now.
The information about nuts and how they help reduce serum cholesterol however was new to me. I won’t go down the rabbit hole on this one. In short, cholesterol is important, it helps your body build new cells, it insulate the nerves and produces hormones. However if your LDL cholesterol is too high, this is considered a major coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor.
Clinical studies have consistently shown that eating nuts reduces your serum cholesterol. 2oz of nuts per day can lower your total cholesterol by 5% and LDL cholesterol by 7.4%. Individuals who eat 5 servings per week had a 37% lower risk of CHD. Some evidence suggests that nuts may also reduce oxidative stress, inflammation and vascular reactivity.
All good news. Keep in mind to vary the kind of nuts you eat, they are all special and all have slightly different benefits. Also, nuts are calorie dense and high in fat. More is not always better and I suggest that you keep it to the 2oz per day serving mentioned in the studies or a little less. If you are not already eating nuts daily, here is a good reason to start.
Yours in health,
Coach Guy