Don’t eat fish? Walnuts are as good for the heart

Great news for vegetarians: walnuts and flaxseeds are the ‘new fish’.   They deliver high levels of omega-3 fatty acids to keep your heart healthy.

They contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant variety of the nutrient, which has a similarly healthy benefit to the heart, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by 10 percent and a fatal heart attack by 20 percent.

The ALAs are a great substitute for people who won’t eat fatty fish—such as salmon or herring—because they’re vegetarian or worried about the level of mercury, say researchers from Penn State.

Even people who eat fish get a further boost from eating ALAs, they add.

The researchers reviewed previously published studies that had looked at the impact of ALAs on risk factors such as blood pressure and inflammation.  They discovered that people with higher levels in their blood also had lower biomarkers of poor cardiovascular health.

Daily consumption of ALAs should be around 1.1 grams for a woman and 1.6 g for a man, which equates to around a half-teaspoon of walnuts.

(Source: Advances in Nutrition, 2022; doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac016)

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