A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology assessed that diet that is rich in red meat, refined sugars and sugary drinks could cause inflammation in the body, increasing the risk of heart problems and stroke when compared to anti-inflammatory foods. A separate study published in the same journal claims that there are positive effects of eating walnuts, an anti-inflammatory food on decreasing inflammation and risk of heart disease.

Chronic inflammation has been shown to have a significant role in the development of heart disease and stroke. Early and late stages of atherosclerosis associated with specific inflammatory biomarkers, such as interleukins, chemokines and adhesion molecules. Various studies have also established that diet plays a significant role in the inflammation levels in the body. Anti-inflammatory diets that include olive oil, nuts, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seafood and light diary help in maintaining the lower concentration of inflammatory biomarkers and reduce the risk of heart disease.

“The anti-inflammatory effect of long-term consumption of walnuts demonstrated in our study provides novel mechanistic insight for the benefit of walnut consumption on heart disease risk beyond that of cholesterol-lowering,” said Montserrant Cofán, PhD, lead author of the study and a researcher at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain.

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