Give Your Heart a Holiday: Eating Almonds Helps Support Healthy ...( American Journal of Clinical Nutritio...),Health

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Reports Almonds' Impact on Triglycerides

MODESTO, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Almond Board of California maintains that simple changes in one's diet can help overcome dietary challenges, especially during the holiday season. Resolutions for healthier eating habits during this festive time should be maintained throughout the year, as heart disease takes 17.5 million lives worldwide annually, according to the World Health Organization report (2004). One way to improve heart health is to make dietary choices that reduce triglyceride levels, an established risk factor for developing heart disease.

With an invested interest in heart health over the course of nearly two decades, the Almond Board funded its most recent study to investigate heart health risk factors, namely high triglyceride levels. During the study, human subjects consumed muffin products made with pieces of whole almonds, compared to those made with oil. Researchers witnessed a delayed release of fats from the almonds into the body, which resulted in a lower rise in triglyceride levels.

"This new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, expands upon previous cardiovascular research by investigating not only how the plant cell wall may impact how fats are absorbed into the body, but also the potential impact on acute changes in triglyceride levels," noted Dr. Sarah Berry, Nutritional Sciences Division, Kings CollegeLondon, United Kingdom. "The data suggest that an intact plant cell wall, as found in whole almonds, may impact on how much and how quickly fat is released into the blood, contributing to a lower acute rise in blood triglyceride levels."

Researchers at King's College in London discovered that the increase in plasma triglycerides levels was lower after eating a meal that included muffins made with pieces of wh
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