By Maria Cendejas

A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found out that walnuts lower LDL cholesterol, prevents bone loss, and can even fight cancer, according to NaturalNews. 

Researchers from both the University of California, Davis, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., fed mice with prostate tumors with three ounces of walnuts a day. At the end of the study, the tumors shrunk by 50%, and tumor growth was slowed by 30%, compared to the control mice.

The lead researcher of the study Dr. Paul Davis said, "These results make me very hopeful that walnuts may be beneficial both in terms of avoiding cancer and slowing cancer growth and therefore should be included in a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. If additional research determines that walnuts have the same effect in men as they do in mice, adhering to a diet that excludes walnuts to lower fat would mean that prostate cancer patients could miss out on the beneficial effects of walnuts."

Walnuts also lower the risk of heart disease by naturally decreasing levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), while at the same time increasing levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol.) 

The study researchers noted in their report that "the walnut diet's beneficial effects probably represent the effects of the whole walnuts multiple constituents and not a specific fatty acid or tocopherol."

Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are helpful and they are known to help prevent the type of bone loss that comes with aging. Proteins in walnuts help to build muscle.