Eating Nuts Associated With Improved Cholesterol Levels

Consuming more nuts appears to be associated with improvements in blood cholesterol levels, according to a pooled analysis of data from 25 trials reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Recently, consumption of nuts has been the focus of intense research because of their potential to reduce coronary heart disease risk and to lower blood lipid levels based on their unique nutritional attributes,” the authors wrote. Nuts are rich in plant proteins, fats (especially unsaturated fatty acids), dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and other compounds such as antioxidants and phytoesterols.

Researchers pooled primary data from 25 nut consumption trials conducted in seven countries and involving 583 people with high or normal cholesterol levels. The studies compared a control group with a group assigned to consume nuts; participants were not taking lipid-lowering medications.

Participants consumed an average of 67 g (about 2.4 oz) of nuts per day. This was associated with an average 5.1% reduction in total cholesterol concentration, a 7.4% reduction in LDL cholesterol, and an 8.3% change in ratio of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) to HDL cholesterol. In addition, triglyceride levels declined by 10.2% among individuals with high levels (at least 150 mg/dL), although not among those with lower levels.

“The effects of nut consumption were dose related, and different types of nuts had similar effects on blood lipid levels,” the authors wrote. “The effects of nut consumption were significantly modified by LDL-C, body mass index, and diet type: the lipid-lowering effects of nut consumption were greatest among subjects with high baseline LDL-C and with low body mass index and among those consuming Western diets.”

The results support including nuts in therapeutic dietary interventions for improving blood cholesterol levels, the authors concluded. “Nuts are a whole food that have been consumed by humans throughout history. Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels (at least in the short term) and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk,” they noted.

Source: American Medical Association