Largest Analysis Finds Nuts Consumption Improves Cholesterol Levels

Filed in archive Food and Agriculture on May 17, 2010

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A study comprising 600 subjects in 25 clinical trials conducted in seven counties provides evidence that a diet containing nuts, including pistachios, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The results indicate that a daily consumption about 67 grams of nuts significantly lowered total, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Individuals with higher baseline LDL-cholesterol levels also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels compared to those with normal baseline LDL levels. People following a typical Western-diet also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels compared to a low-fat or a Mediterranean diet.

Additionally, cholesterol levels were reduced in a dose-dependent result, with benefits seen in as low as a one-ounce serving per day; the greatest benefits were seen when 20 percent of calories (for the typical 2,000-calorie diet, this is equivalent to about 2.4 ounces or 120 pistachios) were consumed daily from nuts.