Advice To Women: To Lose Weight And Improve Cholesterol, Eat Walnuts

A U.S. study analyzing the impact of different diets on women found that eating higher amounts of walnuts, which are rich in polyunsaturated fats, leads to weight loss, but also significantly lowers blood fat levels, especially in women who are insulin-resistant. For the year-long study, overweight and obese adult women were randomly assigned to one of three diets: low-fat and high-carbohydrate; low-carbohydrate and high-fat; or a walnut-rich, high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet. Women lost about the same amount of weight on all three plans. The walnut-rich diet, however, had the most effect on cholesterol levels by decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol), and increasing beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL).