“Nut consumers showed an advantage in relation to diet quality, but walnut consumers appear to have a better heart disease risk factor profile than other groups, even after accounting for overall diet quality.
“The surprising, healthy shifts in the overall dietary pattern of walnut consumers suggests walnuts may act as a bridge or ‘carrier’ food for helping people form healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits throughout lifestyle.”
The study is one of the longest to suggest eating walnuts early on in life could be linked to good heart health, but it is not the first.
The nuts offer a wealth of good fats, such as polyunsaturated fat and omega fatty acids, which may help lower bad cholesterol levels.