Heart Health

Small schooling fish canned whole with their soft, edible bones intact. Being short-lived plankton feeders low in the food chain,…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Research suggests regular consumption of small oily fish such as sardines is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality. Pooled analyses of prospective cohorts point consistently in the same direction, with the clearest signal at one to two portions a week compared with none.

Oil pressed mechanically from olives without heat or solvents, retaining the phenolic fraction that refining removes. Phenolic…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Research consistently associates extra virgin olive oil with lower cardiovascular event rates when used as the principal fat in a Mediterranean dietary pattern, supported by large randomised dietary trials and by multiple meta-analyses of cohort studies. The evidence is for the oil within that pattern, not for adding it to an otherwise unchanged diet.

The bulb of Allium sativum, used raw, crushed or cooked as a seasoning in most cuisines. The USDA reference entry is per 100 g of…

Healthy blood pressure: Multiple meta-analyses of randomised trials report modest reductions in systolic blood pressure, concentrated in people who start with elevated readings. The important caveat is dose and form: nearly all of these trials used standardised garlic powder tablets or aged garlic extract, not cooking garlic, at daily amounts above what most people eat.

An anadromous fish that feeds at sea and returns to fresh water to spawn. Its pink flesh comes from astaxanthin accumulated…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests that regular intake of oily fish or its long-chain omega-3 fatty acids lowers blood triglycerides. This is one of the most consistently replicated effects in nutrition, with a clear dose relationship and the largest effects in people whose triglycerides start high.

A cereal grain sold either hulled, with the bran intact, or pearled, with the bran abraded away. The USDA reference entry is for…

Blood lipid profile: Research consistently shows that barley beta-glucan lowers LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, with multiple meta-analyses in agreement. As with oats, the effect depends on the fibre remaining viscous rather than on the grain itself.

The swollen taproot of a cultivated Beta vulgaris, deep red from betalain pigments. It is among the richest dietary sources of…

Healthy blood pressure: Multiple systematic reviews of randomised trials find that beetroot juice lowers systolic blood pressure by a small but consistent amount, with the effect appearing within hours and persisting with daily use. Disagreement between reviews concerns the size of the effect and how long it lasts rather than whether it exists.

A fast-swimming oily fish with dark, strongly flavoured flesh that spoils quickly and is therefore often smoked or canned. It is…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests that eating oily fish such as mackerel lowers blood triglycerides, with larger effects when starting values are high. Mackerel supplies more EPA and DHA per portion than most other fish.

Cream churned until the fat globules coalesce and separate from the buttermilk, leaving a product that is overwhelmingly fat.…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests butter raises LDL cholesterol compared with unsaturated plant oils in controlled feeding trials. This is a claim about direction of effect rather than a benefit, and it is one of the more consistent findings in diet-lipid research.

Almost always skipjack, a small fast-growing tuna, cooked and canned in water or oil. It is a distinctly different product from…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests that regular fish intake, including canned tuna, is associated with lower triglycerides. Light tuna supplies less EPA and DHA per portion than oily fish, so the expected effect is smaller.

The kidney-shaped seed that grows beneath the cashew apple, always sold shelled and heat-treated because the shell contains…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report small reductions in LDL cholesterol when cashews replace other snacks, but results are more mixed than for almonds or walnuts and several trials found no change.

The brewed infusion of roasted, ground Coffea seeds, and the largest single source of polyphenols in many national diets simply…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Large cohort meta-analyses find moderate coffee intake associated with slightly lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, in a U-shaped pattern where very high intakes lose the association. This is observational, and people who tolerate coffee well differ systematically from those who avoid it.

The great majority of salmon sold worldwide, raised in sea pens on formulated feed. It is consistently fattier than wild salmon,…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests farmed salmon, like other oily fish, lowers blood triglycerides when eaten regularly. It is rated one step below wild salmon here only because its omega-3 density varies with feed and has trended downwards.

The seed of the flax plant, sold whole, ground or pressed for oil, and the densest common dietary source of plant lignans. The…

Healthy blood pressure: Several trials and meta-analyses report modest reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with daily ground flaxseed, with larger effects in trials lasting more than about three months.

Leaves of Camellia sinensis heated soon after picking to stop enzymatic browning, which leaves the catechins largely intact. The…

Blood lipid profile: Meta-analyses of randomised trials report small reductions in total and LDL cholesterol with green tea. Many included trials use concentrated catechin extracts at doses well above several cups of brewed tea, reviews report substantial heterogeneity, and the average effect is modest.

A tart, deep red infusion of dried Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces, drunk hot or cold and containing no caffeine. It is one of the…

Healthy blood pressure: Meta-analyses of randomised trials report reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with hibiscus tea or extract, concentrated in people who start with elevated readings. The trials are small, short and clustered in a few countries, and the doses are several cups a day, which is why this sits at moderate rather than higher.

Whole oat groats that have been steamed and pressed flat so they hydrate quickly. The USDA reference entry is for the dry flake;…

Blood lipid profile: Research consistently shows that oat beta-glucan lowers LDL cholesterol, with meta-analyses agreeing on the direction and roughly on the size of the effect. This is one of the few food-component relationships regulators in both the US and EU have accepted.

Small oil-rich seeds used whole, toasted, or ground into tahini across the Middle East, Africa and East Asia. The USDA reference…

Blood lipid profile: Several trials report modest reductions in LDL and total cholesterol with sesame seed or sesame lignan supplementation, though trials are small and many come from a narrow set of research groups.

A pome fruit grown in temperate regions worldwide, with thousands of cultivars differing in acid, sugar and polyphenol content.…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests daily whole apples or apple pectin are associated with small reductions in total and LDL cholesterol. Effects are modest, trials are mostly short, and the results are driven largely by the soluble fibre rather than anything unique to apples.

A large single-seeded berry with dense, oily flesh, unusual among fruits for being mostly fat rather than carbohydrate. It ripens…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests that substituting avocado for saturated fat in the diet is associated with modest reductions in total and LDL cholesterol. Most trials are short, many are industry-funded, and the effect looks like what would be expected from any monounsaturated fat substitution.

A common bean variety whose dark seed coat carries anthocyanin pigments, staple across Latin America and the Caribbean. The USDA…

Blood lipid profile: Pooled analyses of pulse-feeding trials report modest reductions in LDL cholesterol, with black beans included among the pulses studied rather than tested in isolation.

Rice with the bran and germ left intact, removing only the inedible hull. The USDA reference entry is for raw grain, and rice…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Observational data links higher wholegrain intake, including brown rice, with lower cardiovascular risk. Trials substituting brown for white rice are short and mostly measure blood markers rather than events.

A pulse eaten whole, ground into gram flour, or blended into hummus, with the large kabuli and small desi types differing in seed…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report small reductions in LDL and total cholesterol when chickpeas are added to the diet, generally as part of the broader pulse literature rather than from chickpea-specific trials.

The round nut of the hazel shrub, mostly grown in Turkey and Italy and largely destined for confectionery. The USDA reference…

Blood lipid profile: Several trials report reduced LDL cholesterol with hazelnut-enriched diets, in line with the wider literature on monounsaturated-rich nuts, though hazelnut-specific trials are smaller and often industry-supported.

The large red-skinned variety of the common bean, and the one carrying the highest concentration of the toxic lectin…

Blood lipid profile: Pooled analyses of pulse-feeding trials report modest LDL reductions when beans replace other foods in the diet, with kidney beans among the pulses included.

A hickory nut native to North America, close relative of the walnut and similarly rich in unsaturated fat. The USDA reference…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report reduced LDL cholesterol when pecans replace other foods in the diet, consistent with the broader nut literature, though pecan-specific trials are relatively few.

The green seed of a small desert tree, usually sold roasted in a split shell. The USDA reference entry is for the raw kernel…

Blood lipid profile: Several trials report lower total and LDL cholesterol when pistachios replace other snack foods, though effect sizes vary and some trials show change only in triglycerides.

A thick-skinned fruit filled with hundreds of juice-filled arils, each containing a seed. Commercial juice is usually pressed…

Healthy blood pressure: Pooled analyses of pomegranate juice trials report a small reduction in systolic blood pressure across a reasonable number of studies. The trials are short and mostly small, and the effect size varies a good deal between them.

The fruit of a nightshade plant, used culinarily as a vegetable. Its red colour comes from lycopene, which becomes considerably…

Blood lipid profile: Pooled analyses of tomato and lycopene trials report small reductions in LDL cholesterol, with results varying by whether whole tomato products or isolated lycopene were used. Individual trials are short and often small.

The entire wheat kernel — bran, germ and endosperm — either milled into wholemeal flour or cooked whole as berries. The USDA…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Observational data links higher wholegrain wheat intake with lower cardiovascular risk in large dose-response analyses. Trials are shorter and measure blood markers, so the size of any causal effect remains uncertain.

Oil pressed from the flesh rather than the seed of the avocado, dominated by monounsaturated fat and stable at high cooking…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited. Substituting monounsaturated-rich oils for saturated fat lowers LDL, but trials using avocado oil specifically are few, and most of the avocado literature concerns the whole fruit rather than the oil.

Leaves of the same plant as green tea, allowed to oxidise fully before drying, which converts most catechins into larger…

Healthy blood pressure: Meta-analyses of black tea trials report small reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The changes are modest, the trials heterogeneous, and acute caffeine can push blood pressure the other way in people who rarely drink it.

Cold-pressed oil from flaxseed and the most concentrated common dietary source of the plant omega-3 ALA. Pressing leaves the…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Evidence is limited. Observational data associates higher ALA intake with modestly lower cardiovascular risk, but trials using ALA-rich oils have not clearly demonstrated the benefit seen with long-chain marine omega-3.

The bulb of a cultivated Allium, used as a base flavour in most of the world cuisines. Cutting the bulb releases enzymes that…

Healthy blood pressure: Trials of quercetin supplements report small reductions in blood pressure, mostly at doses far above what onions supply. Trials feeding onions themselves are few and inconsistent.

Oil pressed from sesame seeds, sold either as a light-coloured neutral cooking oil or as the dark, strongly flavoured oil pressed…

Healthy blood pressure: Evidence is limited. Meta-analyses of small trials report reductions in blood pressure with sesame oil or sesame products, but the trials are short, mostly small, and concentrated in a few countries and research groups.

The legume behind tofu, soy milk, tempeh and miso, eaten either as mature dry beans or as edamame, the immature green pod…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Evidence is limited for hard cardiovascular outcomes. Observational data links soy food intake with lower cardiovascular risk in Asian cohorts, but trials measure blood markers over months rather than events over years.

The fruit of a large tropical herb, harvested green and ripened after picking. Ripening converts most of its starch into sugars,…

Healthy blood pressure: Higher potassium intake is associated with lower blood pressure across dietary studies, and bananas are a familiar source. Trials testing bananas specifically rather than potassium in general are few.

Small blue-purple berries of the Vaccinium genus, sold fresh, frozen and dried. Cultivated highbush varieties are larger and…

Healthy blood pressure: Evidence is limited for a blood-pressure effect from blueberries. Pooled analyses report small reductions in systolic pressure that are not consistent across trials and often disappear in the better-controlled studies.

Large seeds harvested from wild Amazonian trees, notable for concentrating selenium from the soil to a degree no other common…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited and inconsistent. A few small trials report short-term changes in cholesterol after a single large portion, a finding that has not been reliably reproduced in longer studies.

The immature flower heads and stalks of a cultivated Brassica oleracea. It is the most-studied source of glucoraphanin, the…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited for an effect on blood lipids. A handful of trials of broccoli sprout powder report small reductions in LDL cholesterol, but the trials are short and the findings have not been firmly repeated.

A pseudocereal seed from a plant in the rhubarb family, unrelated to wheat and free of gluten. The USDA reference entry is for…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report small reductions in total and LDL cholesterol with buckwheat-based diets, but trials are few, small and heterogeneous in the product used.

A dense-headed Brassica oleracea cultivar, eaten raw, cooked or fermented. Red varieties carry anthocyanins that change colour…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited for an effect on blood lipids. Observational studies link higher cruciferous vegetable intake with better lipid profiles, but confounding with overall diet quality is difficult to separate out.

The dried seed pods of Elettaria cardamomum, used whole or as ground seed in baking, curries and coffee. The USDA entry is per…

Healthy blood pressure: A small number of randomised trials report modest reductions in blood pressure with cardamom powder. The body of work is small, geographically concentrated and not independently replicated, and the doses are supplement-scale rather than culinary.

The taproot of a cultivated umbellifer, orange in most modern varieties because of selective breeding for carotene. Purple,…

Blood lipid profile: Some small trials report modest reductions in cholesterol with daily raw carrots, attributed to the soluble fibre. The trials are few, old and small.

Dried ground fruit of hot Capsicum annuum varieties. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the dried spice; a shake over a dish is well…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Observational data links regular chilli consumption with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in several large cohorts. People who eat a lot of chilli differ from those who do not in many ways, and no trial has tested the association, so this remains a correlation rather than a demonstrated effect.

Dried inner bark from several Cinnamomum species. Almost all supermarket cinnamon is cassia, which contains far more coumarin…

Blood lipid profile: Some of the same trials report small reductions in triglycerides and total cholesterol. The findings are inconsistent between reviews, the trials are short, and the effect sizes are of uncertain clinical relevance.

The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, used whole or ground across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The USDA…

Blood lipid profile: A small number of randomised trials of cumin powder or extract report reductions in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. The trials are small, short, mostly from a narrow set of research groups, and use doses well above ordinary seasoning.

The fat-soluble half of the egg, carrying essentially all of its fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, choline and carotenoid…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests yolk intake raises both LDL and HDL cholesterol modestly, with a wide spread of individual responses. The clinical meaning of that pattern is still argued over.

A complete package of protein, fat and micronutrients built to grow a chick, split between a protein-and-water white and a…

Blood lipid profile: Research on egg intake and blood cholesterol is genuinely mixed. Pooled trials show modest rises in both LDL and HDL with higher egg intake, with wide variation between individuals and no consistent effect on cardiovascular events in most cohort analyses.

The hard, bitter seed of a legume-family plant, used whole, ground or sprouted, and responsible for the smell most people…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides alongside the glucose findings. Results are less consistent, and the same dose caveat applies.

A large, bitter-sweet citrus fruit, a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange. Pink and red varieties owe their colour to lycopene,…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report modest reductions in total and LDL cholesterol with daily grapefruit, more consistently in people whose lipids were raised to begin with. Trials are short and the effect is small relative to standard lipid-lowering approaches.

The hulled seed of industrial hemp, a cannabis variety bred to contain negligible THC. The USDA reference entry is for the hulled…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited. A small number of trials of hemp seed or hemp oil report little or no change in blood lipids, so the favourable fatty acid profile has not yet translated into demonstrated effects.

A loose-leaved cabbage that does not form a head, eaten raw in salads or cooked. Like other Brassica oleracea vegetables it…

Blood lipid profile: A small number of trials, mostly of kale juice in men with raised cholesterol, report modest improvements in LDL and HDL. The studies are few, small and largely from one region, so this is early work rather than an established effect.

Salted napa cabbage layered with chilli, garlic, ginger and usually a seafood element, then fermented by the bacteria native to…

Blood lipid profile: Some small trials report modest improvements in blood lipids with kimchi intake. Sample sizes are small, most trials come from a single research setting, and the sodium content complicates the picture.

A hard-shelled Australian nut with the highest fat content of any common nut, dominated by monounsaturated fat including the…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited. A small number of controlled feeding trials report lower total and LDL cholesterol when macadamias replace saturated fat in the diet, consistent with the general effect of that substitution rather than anything specific to this nut.

Rope- or bottom-grown bivalves that need no feed input, making them one of the lowest-impact animal foods produced. They open…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report improvements in blood lipids when shellfish replaces other protein foods. Mussels supply less long-chain omega-3 per portion than oily fish, and the trials are small.

The sweet orange, a hybrid citrus grown commercially on every inhabited continent. Most of the world crop is pressed for juice…

Healthy blood pressure: Some trials of orange juice and of isolated hesperidin report small reductions in blood pressure. The trials are short, effect sizes are modest and several well-conducted studies find no change.

The fruit of the common grapevine, eaten fresh, dried as raisins or fermented into wine. Red and black varieties carry…

Healthy blood pressure: Pooled analyses of grape polyphenol products report small and inconsistent blood-pressure reductions. Most of the underlying trials use extracts, so they say little about eating table grapes.

Decapod crustaceans, the most traded seafood in the world by value and now largely farmed. Their shells contain astaxanthin bound…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report that shrimp raises LDL cholesterol less than its cholesterol content would suggest, alongside a rise in HDL. The trials are small and old, and results differ between individuals.

A fast-growing leafy annual in the amaranth family, eaten raw as young leaves or cooked as mature ones. It wilts to a fraction of…

Healthy blood pressure: Some trials of nitrate-rich leafy greens report small reductions in blood pressure over hours. Most of the nitrate literature uses beetroot juice, and spinach-specific trials are few and short.

A leafy form of the same species as beetroot, grown for its leaves and thick stalks rather than its root. The coloured stems owe…

Healthy blood pressure: Chard is a nitrate-rich green, and nitrate-rich vegetables as a group have been associated with small short-term reductions in blood pressure. There are essentially no trials on chard itself.

Meat from deer, whether wild-harvested or farmed. Because the animals are active and rarely grain-finished, the carcass carries…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report modest improvements in blood lipids when very lean game meat replaces fattier red meat in the diet. The number of studies is small and the comparison food drives much of the result.

A large cucurbit fruit that is over nine-tenths water by weight, with red flesh coloured by lycopene. The rind and the flesh both…

Healthy blood pressure: Some trials of watermelon or its citrulline report small reductions in blood pressure, particularly central aortic pressure. The trials are small, several use concentrated citrulline rather than fruit, and results are not consistent.

Tiny oily fish usually sold salt-cured and packed in oil, where months of curing dissolves the flesh into an intensely savoury…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests oily fish intake lowers blood triglycerides. For anchovies the practical caveat is portion size: they are eaten by the gram as a seasoning, so a typical serving supplies far less omega-3 than a fillet of oily fish.

Soybeans fermented with Aspergillus oryzae koji, salt and usually a grain, for anywhere from weeks to years. Longer ferments…

Healthy blood pressure: Observational data from Japan does not show the rise in blood pressure that miso sodium content alone would predict, and a few small trials report neutral or slightly favourable effects. The evidence is thin and does not license treating miso as low-sodium.

Botanically a legume that ripens underground, not a tree nut, though its fat content and culinary use put it with the nuts. The…

Blood lipid profile: Several trials report modest reductions in LDL and triglycerides when peanuts or peanut butter replace refined snacks, though peanut-specific trials are fewer and smaller than those for tree nuts.

The edible seed of a stone fruit closely related to the peach, eaten raw, roasted or ground into flour and butter. The USDA…

Blood lipid profile: Research consistently shows that adding almonds to the diet lowers LDL and total cholesterol, with multiple meta-analyses of controlled feeding trials pointing the same way. The effect is modest and depends partly on what the almonds replace.

A peppery salad leaf in the mustard family, eaten raw or briefly wilted. Its sharpness comes from isothiocyanates released when…

Healthy blood pressure: Nitrate-rich leaves including arugula have been used in a small number of trials reporting short-term reductions in blood pressure. The literature is dominated by beetroot juice, and arugula-specific evidence is thin.

Small axillary buds that grow along a thick stalk, another cultivar of Brassica oleracea. Modern varieties have been bred for…

Blood lipid profile: Brussels sprouts are sometimes credited with cholesterol-lowering because their fibre binds bile acids in laboratory conditions. Human trials testing that in practice have not been done.

The fibrous leaf stalks of a cultivated umbellifer, eaten raw or used as an aromatic base in cooking. It is mostly water by…

Healthy blood pressure: Celery and its phthalide compounds are widely promoted for blood pressure. Almost all of that research is in rodents or isolated tissue, and there is no dependable human trial evidence behind the claim.

Fat extracted from coconut flesh, solid below about 24 degrees Celsius and dominated by saturated fatty acids, principally lauric…

Cardiovascular risk markers: There is no dependable human evidence that coconut oil lowers cardiovascular risk, and the trial evidence points the other way on the main measurable marker: it raises LDL cholesterol compared with unsaturated oils. Claims based on Pacific island populations describe whole diets built around coconut flesh, not on adding refined coconut oil to a Western diet.

The clear liquid from inside a young green coconut, distinct from coconut milk, which is pressed from the mature flesh. It is a…

Healthy blood pressure: Coconut water is promoted for blood pressure on the strength of its potassium content, which is a reasonable hypothesis rather than a finding. Direct human trials are very few and small, so there is not enough evidence to rate it.

The feathery leaf of Anethum graveolens, used fresh with fish, cucumber and cultured dairy; the seed is a separate spice with a…

Blood lipid profile: A small number of trials of dill extract report changes in cholesterol and triglycerides, but they are small, short, from a narrow set of centres and not independently replicated.

Flat pulses sold whole or split, and the only common legume that cooks from dry without soaking. The USDA reference entry is for…

Blood lipid profile: Several trials and pooled analyses report modest reductions in LDL cholesterol when pulses are added to or substituted into the diet, with the effect on lentils specifically less separable from pulses in general.

A group of small-seeded, drought-tolerant cereals staple across the Sahel and South Asia, sold hulled and cooked like rice or…

Blood lipid profile: There is not yet a dependable body of human research on millet and blood lipids, and claims that millets are inherently superior to other whole grains are not supported by comparative trials.

Whole soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto, which produces the sticky polyglutamic acid strands and pungent aroma…

Cardiovascular risk markers: Evidence is limited for natto affecting cardiovascular outcomes. The claim comes from nattokinase, an enzyme sold as a concentrated supplement and tested at doses unrelated to eating natto; the food itself has not been trialled for these endpoints.

A pseudocereal seed from a plant related to spinach and beet, cooked and used as a grain. The USDA reference entry is for the…

Blood lipid profile: There is not yet a dependable body of human research showing that quinoa improves blood lipids, and the broader claim that ancient grains are nutritionally superior to other whole grains is not supported by comparative trials.

A cultivated wood-decay fungus native to East Asia, sold fresh and dried. Drying concentrates its flavour compounds and is how…

Blood lipid profile: Shiitake are often credited with lowering cholesterol on the basis of a compound called eritadenine. That work is almost entirely in rodents, and human trials do not exist in any dependable quantity.

The aggregate fruit of a low-growing Rosaceae plant, with the seeds carried on the outside. Sold fresh year-round and frozen,…

Blood lipid profile: Some trials report modest reductions in LDL cholesterol with daily freeze-dried strawberry powder. Doses used are usually well above an ordinary portion of fresh fruit, and results in normolipidaemic people are inconsistent.

The hulled kernels of the sunflower, one of the densest common food sources of vitamin E. The USDA reference entry is for the…

Blood lipid profile: Evidence is limited. Small trials report reductions in LDL when sunflower seeds or sunflower oil replace saturated fat, consistent with the general effect of that substitution rather than with anything specific to the seed.

Whole cooked soybeans bound into a firm cake by Rhizopus mould, an Indonesian ferment that keeps the beans intact rather than…

Blood lipid profile: Research suggests soy protein intake produces a modest reduction in LDL cholesterol, an effect consistent enough across pooled trials to support a regulatory claim in several countries. Most of the trials used soy protein isolate rather than tempeh.

The wrinkled kernel of the walnut tree, unusual among common nuts for being dominated by polyunsaturated rather than…

Blood lipid profile: Research consistently shows that walnut-enriched diets lower LDL and total cholesterol compared with control diets, across many controlled trials and several meta-analyses. Effects on HDL and triglycerides are smaller and less consistent.