Lowly Walnut Deemed World's Healthiest Nut

A press release from the American Chemical Society (!) reports on a study showing that walnuts provide more heart healthy anti-oxidants than any other nut.   Compared to almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, and pecans, walnuts had the highest levels of antioxidants.

This study is apparently the first one to compare the anti-oxidant benefits of varieties of widely available nuts.

The author of the study, Joe Vinson, Ph.D. notes that nuts account for barely 8% of the anti-oxidants in the average diet.  People wrongly believe that consuming nuts will cause weight gain or that nuts contain unhealthy fats.

Previous studies have indicated that nuts induce a feeling of satiation, and thus help dieters control calorie consumption.