Recent Study Shows Consumption of Nuts May Be Beneficial to Heart Health

1. Advancing Products with Proven Science
NMR News: Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2010
Recent Study Shows Consumption of Nuts May Be
Beneficial to Heart Health
Summary by: Charles Spielholz, Ph.D.
Data pooled from 25 clinical trials supported the observation that the consumption of nuts
is beneficial to heart health. The results of this pooled analysis were reported on May 10, 2010
by Joan Sabaté, Keiji Oda, and Emilio Ros.1 The analysis showed that the consumption of an
average of 67 grams of nuts a day for at least 3 weeks resulted in a 5.1% decrease in cholesterol
levels, a 7.4% decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, an 8.3% decrease in
the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and a 5.6% decrease
in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol. In addition, triglyceride levels were
decreased 10.2% in those individuals with blood triglyceride levels that were greater than 150
mg/dL, but not in individuals with lower triglyceride levels. The lipid lowering effects of nut
consumption was greater in individuals with lower body mass indexes. Each of these parameters
was compared against a control group. The authors concluded that the incorporation of nuts into
the daily diet will result in an improvement in blood lipid levels especially in individuals
following a healthy diet.
Reference:
1. Sabaté J, Oda K, Ros E. 2010. Nut consumption and blood lipid levels: a pooled analysis of 25 intervention
trials. Arch Intern Med. 170:821-827. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458092)