Walnuts vs. Olive Oil: Which Lowers Cholesterol Better?
Substituting Walnuts for Monounsaturated Fat Improves the Serum Lipid Profile of Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lipoprotein(a) decreased by 6.2% only in men, with no change in women.
Lp(a) is largely genetic and thought to be unaffected by diet. The fact that walnuts lowered it at all—and only in men—is unexpected and contradicts the belief that Lp(a) is diet-resistant.
Practical Takeaways
Replace about 1/4 of your daily monounsaturated fat (e.g., olive oil, avocado) with a small handful (about 1 oz or 14 halves) of walnuts to potentially lower LDL and Lp(a).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lipoprotein(a) decreased by 6.2% only in men, with no change in women.
Lp(a) is largely genetic and thought to be unaffected by diet. The fact that walnuts lowered it at all—and only in men—is unexpected and contradicts the belief that Lp(a) is diet-resistant.
Practical Takeaways
Replace about 1/4 of your daily monounsaturated fat (e.g., olive oil, avocado) with a small handful (about 1 oz or 14 halves) of walnuts to potentially lower LDL and Lp(a).
Publication
Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine
Year
2000
Authors
Daniel Zambn, J. Sabat, Sonia Muoz, Betina Campero, E. Casals, M. Merlos, J. Laguna, E. Ros
Related Content
Claims (3)
If you swap out a little bit of the healthy fats in your Mediterranean diet (like olive oil) for walnuts, your bad cholesterol (LDL) and overall cholesterol go down a bit—which might help your heart.
Eating walnuts instead of other healthy fats like olive oil may lower a dangerous blood fat called lipoprotein(a) in men with high cholesterol—but it doesn’t seem to help women the same way.
Eating walnuts can make the 'bad' cholesterol in your blood healthier by filling it with good fats, without making it more likely to cause damage—like adding armor instead of fuel to a fire.