People love al l kinds of nuts: peanuts, cashews , walnuts, pecans and more. Nuts can been joyed whole, in a recipe, or as a spread on bread. But now there’s another reason to love nuts. It might sound “nuts ,” but nuts may be your heart’s best friend.

For years, many people didn’t eat nuts because they contain a lot of fat. Almost 80 percent of a nut is fat. Studies done in the past 12 years, however, indicate that nuts lower one’s chance of heart disease. How? The fat found in nuts is good fat – the kind that reduces one’s bad cholesterol. This bad cholesterol sticks to blood vessels and slowly builds up, increasing one’s chance of heart disease. Eating nuts could help prevent this from happening.

In addition to the heart-healthy fat, other nutrients in nuts also make one’s heart and bloodvessels stronger. And to top it off, nuts may reduce one’s risk of getting diabetes and some forms of cancer. All these benefits prove a healthier you may only be a few nuts away!

各式各样的坚果广受人们喜爱：有花生、腰果、胡桃、美洲薄壳胡桃等许多种。坚果可以整颗拿来吃，也可以成为食谱的材料，或者做成面包涂酱。不过，现在又多了一个让我们爱上坚果的理由。这听起来或许有点“疯狂”，但坚果可能是你心脏最好的朋友。

多年来，很多人不吃坚果是怕它们含的油脂太多。坚果几乎80%都是油脂。然而，过去12年所做的研究却指出，坚果可以降低罹患心脏疾病的机率。怎么说？坚果的油脂是“良性的”──能够减少不良胆固醇的那一种。恶性胆固醇会附着在血管中，逐渐堆积，提高患心脏疾病的机率。吃坚果有助于预防这种情形。

除了含有益心脏的油脂外，坚果还有其他的营养素能让心脏和血管更加强健。更好的是，坚果也许能降低罹患糖尿病和数种癌症的风险。由这些好处可知，只要几颗坚果就能让你更健康！