14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study carried out by Spanish researchers showed that walnuts should be consumed on a regularly basis, especially after a high-in-fats meal, as the fruits preserve the flexibility of our arteries and keep heart disorders at bay. A team of experts at the Lipid Clinic at Hospital Cl?nico, Barcelona, Spain who run the study suggest that nuts may be even more beneficial than olive oil against unwanted large amounts of saturated fats in their bodies.
It was very interesting to reach the conclusion that walnuts neutralize saturated fats which harden our arteries, as walnuts themselves are laden with fat. But what makes the striking difference between a high-in-saturated-fat meal and walnuts intake is that the former type of food is overloaded with 'destructive' fats, while the latter is laden with protective fat.
"This demonstrates that the protective fat from walnuts actually undoes some of the detrimental effects of a high-saturated-fat diet, whereas a neutral fat, such as olive oil, does not have as much protective ability. This raises a very interesting issue because many people who eat a Mediterranean diet believe the olive oil is providing the benefits.
But this research and other data indicate that's not true. There are probably other factors in the diet, including that it is a relatively rich source of nuts. This is not to say that olive oil is bad, but it's not the key protective factor in the Mediterranean diet," pointed out leader of the study Emilio Ros, MD, PhD.
However, Spanish scientists caution that people should not get now the wrong impression that they can eat as much high-in-saturated-fat foods as they like and then consume walnuts to counteract the harmful effects of previous meals. Instead, individuals should consider adopting a full-time healthy lifestyle and diet which must necessarily include nuts:
"People would get the wrong message if they think that they can continue eating unhealthy fats provided they add walnuts to their meals. Instead, they should consider making walnuts part of a healthy diet that limits saturated fats."