The Health of It All

Nuts: Almonds

There have been a lot of studies showing that eating nuts may improve cholesterol levels, but nuts have not been recommended as snacks for people with high cholesterol. This is because they have so much fat that researchers weren't sure how much might be good for you.

A study by Dr. David Jenkins and his colleagues compared whole almonds as a snack with low-saturated fat whole wheat muffins. This was included as part of a healthy diet in people with cholesterol problems. They had both a "half-dose" and "full-dose" group for each of those eating muffins and almonds. This consisted of either a little more than one and two ounces of almonds or the equivalent calories in whole wheat muffins.

In the group eating almonds, there were significant reductions in LDL cholesterol (the bad guy) as well as improvement in other fats that have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease (including LDL:HDL ratio, lipoprotein(a) and oxidized LDL levels).

Their conclusion is that "almonds used as snacks in the diets of [people with high cholesterol] significantly reduce coronary heart disease risk factors, probably in part because of the nonfat (protein and fiber) and monounsaturated fatty acid components of the nut." That's a mouthful. Read More "The Health of It All..." Articles