In study, walnuts and almonds protected hearts

Bloomberg reports on a study of the effect of the so-called "Mediterranean-diet" Vs a low-fat diet on heart disease. The study found:

One of the Mediterranean-diet groups was given 1 liter (33.8 ounces) a week of virgin olive oil. The other received 30 grams (1.06 ounces) a day of mixed nuts, half of which were walnuts and the rest almonds and hazelnuts.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased 6.7 percent in the group given the olive oil compared with 13.7 percent among those in the nut group, the study found.

Weight didn’t change among the participants after one year. Those on the Mediterranean diet plus nuts experienced more of a drop in waist size, triglycerides and blood pressure compared with those on the low-fat diet, Ros said.

The article notes that other studies have made similar findings:

Nuts contain nutrients that may affect insulin resistance, blood pressure and blood fats such as cholesterol. Studies have shown that eating nuts may protect against heart disease, the researchers said. A July report in the New England Journal of Medicine found that overweight people lost more pounds on a Mediterranean diet than did those on a diet low in fat.