Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

Now I know I've made a name for myself and explaining how not to do certain things.

Just look at my books. How not to die in my upcoming book, How Not to Diet.

But what I want to share with you is actually quite positive.

What's the best way to live a healthy life? Here are some answers.

Today we begin the first in an occasional series, highlighted one special food that contains

demonstrable health benefits. And the star of today's episode, The Mighty Walnut.

Not eating walnuts make double our risk of dying from heart disease compared to at least

one serving a week. But walnut consumption may only drop our cholesterol levels about 5%.

How could we get a 50% drop in cardiac mortality from just a 5% drop in cholesterol? Walnuts must

have some other heart protecting benefits besides just lowering cholesterol, such as improving

arterial function. This review found five clinical trials analyzing the effect of nut consumption

on the ability of our arteries to relax and open normally, considered an excellent barometer

of underlying vascular health. Even after controlling for other risk factors, 80% of those

with better than average arterial function survived cardiac event free over the years, whereas

80% of those with below average dilation didn't. And so what effect do nuts have?

All three studies on walnuts showed an improvement in endothelial function, arterial function,

this so-called flow-mediated dilation measured in the arm. The one study on pistachios also

found a positive effect, but the one study on walnuts was a was a was a was a was a subsequent

study on hazelnuts though did find a significant improvement in arterial function. So the data

on hazelnuts is mixed, whereas two subsequent walnuts studies however confirmed walnuts

benefits. So eight studies to data nuts in break your artery function and seven out of eight

...