Walnuts are amazingly heart-healthy. As many as 400 years ago, the medical profession adopted the "Doctrine of Signatures" that said various plants were effective as herbal medicine cures due to their resemblance to a particular body part. Depending on how the walnut is cut, it has a striking resemblance to the brain or the heart.

Today, research proves eating a handful of walnuts a day can reduce the risk of heart disease, according to California Walnuts. They're packed with polyunsaturated fats, which are the source of vital essential fatty acids needed from food. Those are needed to form healthy cell membranes and for proper development and function of the brain and nervous system. And mounting scientific evidence shows omega-3 fatty acids improve blood lipid levels and lower heart disease risk by preventing platelets from sticking together and forming clots.

Two years ago, the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that walnuts, added to the healthy Mediterranean diet, lower cholesterol and heart disease risk more than the diet alone. And last year the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that shows walnuts lower both total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

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For free, heart-healthy recipes and heart health guidelines from the American Heart Association, call 1-800-758-2100. For more information, visit www.walnuts.org.

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