Eating Pistachios Helps Reduce Cardiovas...( - New Penn State University Research...),Health

- New Penn State University Research Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Finds Pistachios Improve Risk Factors for Heart Disease

-

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for a heart-healthy snack nut? Pistachios may be just what the cardiologist ordered. According to a new study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that pistachios improve several markers for cardiovascular disease, including lowering harmful blood lipids and impacting enzymes involved in removing unhealthy cholesterol in the bloodstream. The full study is available at http://www.pistachiohealth.com, an online resource for pistachio nutrition and health information.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080925/LATH018)

"Our results clearly show two things: A small amount of pistachios that can be easily incorporated into most diets significantly improves biomarkers known to increase risk for heart disease, and they do so in a dose-dependent manner," says the lead researcher of the study, Sarah Gebauer, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate at the USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, formerly of Pennsylvania State University. The study further affirms the FDA's first-ever qualified heart health claim, issued in July 2003, which states: "Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."

High total blood cholesterol, high LDL-cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol levels are major risk factors for coronary heart disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. One in every two American adults has high blood cholesterol leve
'/>"/>