You may be wondering what you can do to prevent high cholesterol levels in the body and thus lower your chances of having a heart attack. Well, a recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated the information found in 13 clinical studies on walnuts and concluded that adding walnuts to your diet will reduce your cholesterol by 10 points (mg/dl), and for every 1 mg/dl drop in cholesterol you reduce your chances of heart attack by 2%; so that a 20% reduction in your risk for a heart attack just by eating walnuts. And there were no side-effect nor was there a weight gain associated with eating walnuts. Using drugs to reduce cholesterol is expensive with multiple side-effects and an overall 30% reduction in heart attack risk. “Walnuts are a tasty and simple remedy. Add them to your granola, fruit salads, lettuce salads, and baked items (muffins, cookies, breads), or simply eat them by the handfuls. Walnuts taste good and are a good food to include in a heart healthy diet.” So for better health, make sure you get walnuts on a regular basis; but remember to eat them in moderation! (Making Healthy Choices Newsletter, Issue 53, January 2010)