Effects of tree nut consumption on cardiovascular illnesses
A diet enriched with almonds has been observed to achieve greater weight reductions than a low-fat diet. New studies continue to corroborate the beneficial effect of tree nuts on various parameters connected with cardiovascular illness. Dr. Emilio Ros, a researcher at Barcelona's Hospital Clínic and a pioneer in Spain of research into tree nuts, compared in hypercholesterolemic individuals - people with high cholesterol levels in their blood - the effects of a typical Mediterranean-type diet with a Mediterranean diet rich in walnuts. The goal of the study was to observe the effect of both diets on the operation of the circulatory system. The results, published in the journal Circulation, indicate that a walnut-enriched diet leads to greater vascular elasticity; that is to say, following consumption of walnuts, the arteries and veins react better to the body's demand for blood, dilating to favour blood flow. The diet rich in walnuts was also associated with a reduction in adhesion molecules, molecules related to atheroma plaque formation, which causes vascular obstruction. Dr. Emilio Ros and his team concluded that walnuts, as well as promoting a better lipidic profile, may make the blood vessels respond better to situations of stress, where there is an increased demand for blood, such as for example during hard physical exercise. In the event that the blood vessels do not respond well to this type of situation, it may happen that not enough blood reaches the organs that need it - the brain, heart, etc. - leading to heart failure. New conclusions regarding the effect of tree nut consumption on body weight The effects of tree nuts on cardiovascular protection seem to be clearly proven. Despite the popular belief that tree nuts are fattening, numerous population studies show that a population which consumes tree nuts regularly displays a lower body mass index than that which does not consume them. Furthermore, neither do the dietary intervention studies conducted to date show any association between tree nut consumption and weight gain. Researchers are currently devoting their efforts to assessing the effects of tree nut consumption on weight, as outlined below. The study published in the International Journal of Obesity by Dr. Wien of the City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, and Dr. Joan Sabaté, a researcher at the University of Loma Linda (California), offers some interesting information: the effect of a diet which is moderate in fat and enriched with almonds was compared with that of a low-fat diet rich in carbohydrates, both of them controlled in energy terms, for overweight or obese individuals. The almond-enriched diet contained around 84g/day of the tree nuts, so that the almonds provided nearly 500 Kcal. in the diet. It was observed that, despite its calorie content, the diet enriched with almonds achieved greater reductions in weight and body fat: individuals on the almond-enriched diet lost 18% of their weight, while the individuals following the low-fat diet only lost 11%. By way of example, for an individual weighing 80 Kg., the almond-enriched diet would mean losing some 14.4 Kg., while the other group would have lost only 8.8 Kg. This proves that a diet for treating overweight or obese people may be equally suitable if it contains tree nuts. In another study directed by Dr. Joan Sabaté and published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, it was observed that, after asking healthy individuals to eat 42 - 72g a day of almonds, after six months there was no significant weight gain in the volunteers. The studies conducted to date prove that there is no evidence that tree nut consumption is related to an increase in body weight. However, there is evidence of its positive effects on health. A diet controlled in terms of saturated fats and enriched with almonds, among other foodstuffs, achieves a reduction in cholesterol which is similar to that of pharmaceutical treatments Proof of the scientific recognition of the cardiac health benefits of tree nuts is to be found in the research carried out recently by experts from the University of Toronto, who compared the effect upon cholesterol levels of two distinct types of dietary intervention: a diet low in saturated fat, and an intensive dietary intervention based on increasing the diet's content of: viscous fibre, vegetable sterols, soya protein and almonds - foods or components with proven hypocholesterolemic effects - at the same time as the saturated fat content was controlled. The results were clear: While the diet low in saturated fat achieved reductions in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels of around 12%, with the intensive dietary intervention with almonds the LDL cholesterol was reduced by about 35%, a similar figure to that achieved with the aid of pharmaceuticals. The cholesterol reducing power of these foodstuffs was as effective as instituting pharmacological treatment and was therefore much more effective than simply controlling the saturated fat content of the diet. Thus, tree nuts are once again proven to be an effective food in achieving reductions in the level of cholesterol in the blood and reducing the risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack.Nucis (Health and Tree Nuts) Foundation,website: http://www.nucis.org(öffnet in neuem Fenster)