The omega-3s found in walnuts help maintain good cardiovascular health.
- Cardiovascular or cardio-neurovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
- Hemp seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids.
It’s the season and we would be wrong to deprive ourselves of it: according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologywalnuts would be an ally of choice in the prevention or management of heart disease.
Cardiovascular diseases group together a set of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels such as myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), heart failure, or even peripheral vascular diseases and hypertensive diseases, explains Public Health France.
Omega-3s in walnuts protect the heart
And indeed, according to researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona, the omega-3s found in walnuts could be the key to increased longevity for people with cardiovascular problems. .
The scientists analyzed data collected from 905 people with an average age of 67. All were patients with heart failure and whose cardiovascular problems were due to various causes. A follow-up was carried out with the patients 2.4 years later, on average.
During this period, 140 patients died from causes other than cardiac disorders, while 85 died from cardiovascular causes. When researchers compared patients with levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in plant foods including nuts, they found a big difference. Indeed, those with the highest levels had a lower risk of first hospitalization due to heart failure, cardiovascular death and even death from all causes.
Walnuts help fight inflammation
“ALA and omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and manage heart disease through their effect on inflammation”explains dietitian Blair Persyn in the magazine EatThis. “We know there is an inflammatory component to heart disease and other chronic diseases.s.”
And including nuts in the diet would benefit everyone, not just people with cardiovascular conditions, said Aleix Sala-Vila, author of the study: “Each of us can improve our diet at any time, and this will result in healthy aging.“
