Are Walnuts Good for Triglycerides?
Partly: walnuts can support a heart-healthy diet when they replace foods high in saturated fat because they provide unsaturated fats, but their effect on triglycerides is uncertain.
They are a reasonable food choice for many people, not a proven treatment for high triglycerides. For a broader approach, see the best foods for high triglycerides.
Can walnuts help with high triglycerides?
Walnuts may fit into an eating plan for high triglycerides, particularly when they replace less nutritious foods rather than simply being added to the diet. The potential benefit comes from improving the overall pattern of what you eat, not from a demonstrated ability of walnuts to lower triglycerides on their own.
Triglyceride levels respond to several factors, including food choices, alcohol intake, activity, weight and underlying health conditions. If your level is high, a clinician can help you identify which factors matter in your case and whether you need treatment.
How might walnuts affect triglycerides?
Triglycerides are a type of fat carried in the blood. Your body uses them for energy and can store excess energy as triglycerides. The liver also helps package triglycerides for transport in the blood.
Walnuts contain mostly unsaturated fats, including the plant omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat can support heart health and may improve LDL cholesterol, but an improvement in LDL cholesterol does not necessarily mean triglycerides will fall.
Walnuts are also energy-dense. Adding large amounts without changing the rest of your diet may increase your overall energy intake. How walnuts are used—as a replacement or an extra—therefore matters.
Food is only one part of the picture. Drinks can also contribute sugar, alcohol or extra energy; see the best drinks for high triglycerides for that part of the eating pattern.
What does the evidence say about walnuts and triglycerides?
We found no studies on whether walnuts lower triglycerides, how large any effect might be or what amount would be effective. A general recommendation to choose unsaturated fats is not the same as evidence that walnuts specifically reduce high triglycerides.
Walnuts contain a plant omega-3 fat, but that does not make them interchangeable with prescription omega-3 medicines used for some people with high triglycerides. You should not expect a particular change in a blood-test result from eating walnuts.
Research would need to compare walnuts with a suitable alternative and measure triglyceride levels to clarify their effect. Until then, it is most accurate to consider walnuts an optional part of a heart-healthy eating pattern rather than a targeted triglyceride remedy.
How can you use walnuts safely?
If you do not have an allergy or a prescribed fat restriction, try a small portion of plain walnuts as a substitute for another food. This keeps the focus on the overall meal rather than treating walnuts as an extra treatment.
For example, have walnuts instead of a pastry or chips for a snack. You can also add them to unsweetened oatmeal or plain yogurt in place of a sugary topping, or sprinkle them over a salad instead of some cheese or creamy dressing.
Choose walnuts without added sugar when possible. Candied walnuts add sugar, which can make them less useful as a replacement for a sweet snack. Unsalted walnuts are a practical choice if you are also watching sodium.
Pay attention to what you are replacing and to the portions that fit your needs. If your clinician or dietitian has given you an individualized eating plan, follow that plan rather than assuming that more walnuts will produce a better result.
Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?
Avoid walnuts if you have a walnut allergy. If you have another tree-nut allergy, ask an allergist whether walnuts are safe for you. Whole walnuts can also be a choking hazard for young children.
If you are pregnant, have diabetes or have an inherited lipid disorder, discuss high triglycerides with your clinician. Children with high triglycerides also need advice from their pediatrician rather than a self-directed adult eating plan.
A triglyceride result of 500 mg/dL or higher is classified as severe in American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidance. Contact a clinician promptly for a treatment plan: levels this high increase the risk of pancreatitis and may require a low-fat eating plan or medication. Check whether walnuts fit your prescribed fat limit before adding them.
Seek emergency care for sudden severe abdominal pain, especially with nausea or vomiting; these can be signs of pancreatitis. Do not stop or change prescribed medication in favor of walnuts. Even with a lower result, ask your clinician how to interpret it and whether a repeat test or other care is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Are raw or roasted walnuts better for triglycerides?
The available evidence does not establish that either is better for triglycerides. Plain raw or dry-roasted walnuts without added sugar or salt are both reasonable choices.
Do walnuts need to be soaked?
No. There is no evidence supplied here that soaking walnuts improves their effect on triglycerides.
Can I eat walnuts before a triglyceride blood test?
Follow the instructions from your clinician or laboratory. If your test requires fasting, do not eat walnuts or other food during the instructed fasting period.