Frequent nut consumption and decreased risk of cholecystectomy in women.

BACKGROUND: Gallstone disease is a major source of morbidity in the developed countries. Nuts are rich in several compounds that may protect against gallstone disease. OBJECTIVE: The association between nut intake and cholecystectomy was examined in a large cohort of women. DESIGN: We prospectively studied nut (peanuts; other nuts; and peanut butter) consumption in relation […]

Dietary fats; teas; dairy; and nuts: potential functional foods for weight control?

Functional foods are similar to conventional foods in appearance; but they have benefits that extend beyond their basic nutritional properties. For example; functional foods have been studied for the prevention of osteoporosis; cancer; and cardiovascular disease. They have yet to be related to the prevention of obesity; although obesity is one of the major health […]

Nut consumption and body weight.

Frequent nut consumption is associated with lower rates of coronary artery disease (CAD). Also; nut-rich diets improve the serum lipid profile of participants in dietary intervention trials. However; nuts are fatty foods; and in theory their regular consumption may lead to body weight gain. Because obesity is a major public health problem and a risk […]

Serum lipid response to the graduated enrichment of a step 1 diet with almonds: a randomized feeding trial.

BACKGROUND: Frequent consumption of nuts may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by favorably altering serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. OBJECTIVE: We compared the effects of 2 amounts of almond intake with those of a National Cholesterol Education Program Step I diet on serum lipids; lipoproteins; apolipoproteins; and glucose in healthy and mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. […]

Dietary cis-monounsaturated fatty acids and metabolic control in type 2 diabetes.

Whether low-fat; high-carbohydrate (CHO) diets or moderately high-fat; high-monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) diets are preferable for the treatment and prevention of diabetes has been a matter of debate. High-fat diets based on MUFA-rich oils or whole foods have been compared with high-CHO diets for effects on several cardiovascular risk outcomes in diabetic subjects. Early studies […]

Effects of moderate-fat (from monounsaturated fat) and low-fat weight-loss diets on serum lipid profile in overweight and obese men and women.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence of the effects of moderate-fat (from monounsaturated fat) weight-loss diets on risk factors for cardiovascular disease exists because low-fat diets are typically recommended. Previous studies in weight-stable persons showed that a moderate-fat diet results in a more favorable lipid and lipoprotein profile (ie; lower serum triacylglycerol and higher HDL cholesterol) than does […]

Importance of glycemic index in diabetes.

To date there are 11 medium to long-term studies that have specifically used the glycemic index (GI) approach to determine the clinical gains in diabetes or lipid management. All but one study produced positive findings. On average; low-GI diets reduced glycosylated hemoglobin by 9%; fructosamine by 8%; urinary C-peptide by 20%; and day-long blood glucose […]

High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Low-fat diets increase plasma triacylglycerol and decrease HDL-cholesterol concentrations; thereby potentially adversely affecting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. High-monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA); cholesterol-lowering diets do not raise triacylglycerol or lower HDL cholesterol; but little is known about how peanut products; a rich source of MUFAs; affect CVD risk. OBJECTIVE: The present study compared the CVD […]