Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Eat nuts to lower your cholesterol!!!

Nut Consumption Associated with Improved Cholesterol Levels

Consumption of nuts may lead to significant improvements in blood lipid levels, according to an industry-funded study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researches compiled data from 25 studies that assessed the effects of nut dietary interventions on blood lipid levels in nearly 600 adults. After at least 3 weeks, nut diets were associated with reductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol, and ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, compared with control diets.

The mean nut consumption with the intervention diets was about 2.5 ounces per day. Greater lipid improvements were observed in participants who had greater nut consumption and who had higher baseline LDL or lower BMI. The effect was similar for different types of nuts.