Why We Can't Stop Talking About - and Eating - Walnuts

When it comes to walnuts, we're a little biased. Although nuts of all types have health benefits, walnuts have a secret weapon: six times more of a compound called ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) than the next-highest nut. You convert ALA -- albeit slowly -- to DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that supports brain health and a whole lot more. So besides tasting great, walnuts can:

Bring down lousy LDL cholesterol. Just 8 to 13 nuts a day drop LDL by 6%. And your blood vessels (whether in your heart or sex organs) will dilate more readily, allowing blood to flow more freely through arteries that supply the heart and brain and more. People who eat 21 walnut halves a day, 6 days a week, reduce their lousy LDL cholesterol by nearly 20%. Here's another cholesterol-lowering snack worth checking out.

Decrease your risk of a heart attack. Just 12 walnut halves a day decrease the risk of a heart attack by 60%.

Lower your diabetes risk. If you eat an ounce of nuts or a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter five times a week, your risk of type 2 diabetes drops by half. Take this quick quiz to check your diabetes risk.

Nix extra waist. The healthy fat in about 6 walnut halves starts a chain reaction that slows the rate at which your stomach empties. Eating the walnuts about 25 minutes before a meal helps you feel more satisfied by that meal and less likely to finish what's on your -- and your spouse's -- plate. Find other foods that fight belly fat.

So better sex, fewer heart problems, less type 2 diabetes, and a thinner waist. Get this nut and enjoy life.