Tree Nuts and Peanuts as Components of a Healthy Diet
Nuts have been part of the diet for thousands of years. In 2003; a Qualified Health Claim was approved; stating that eating 1.5 oz (42 g) of nuts per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. Usual intakes fall short of this recommendation. About one-third of Americans report consuming nuts (tree nuts or peanuts) […]
Predicting the growth/no-growth boundary and ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus carbonarius in pistachio nuts
Black aspergilli are the main fungal contaminants in pistachio nuts. Ochratoxin A (OTA) production has been repeatedly reported in Aspergillus section Nigri; OTA has been occasionally detected in pistachio nuts in high concentrations. The aim of this study was to develop suitable validated models to predict the growth and OTA production boundaries by an Aspergillus […]
Impact of Peanuts and Tree Nuts on Body Weight and Healthy Weight Loss in Adults
Nuts (ground and tree) are rich sources of multiple nutrients and their consumption is associated with health benefits; including reduced cardiovascular disease risk. This has prompted recommendations to increase their consumption. However; they are also high in fat (albeit largely unsaturated) and are energy dense. The associations between these properties; positive energy balance; and body […]
The Role of Tree Nuts and Peanuts in the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: Multiple Potential Mechanisms
Epidemiologic and clinical trial evidence has demonstrated consistent benefits of nut and peanut consumption on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk and associated risk factors. The epidemiologic studies have reported various endpoints; including fatal CHD; total CHD death; total CHD; and nonfatal myocardial infarct. A pooled analysis of 4 U.S. epidemiologic studies showed that subjects in […]
Possible Benefit of Nuts in Type 2 Diabetes
Nuts; including peanuts; are now recognized as having the potential to improve the blood lipid profile and; in cohort studies; nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). More recently; interest has grown in the potential value of including nuts in the diets of individuals with diabetes. Data from […]
Oxidative Stability of Tree Nut Oils
The oxidative stability of selected tree nut oils was examined. The oils of almond; Brazil nut; hazelnut; pecan; pine nut; pistachio; and walnut were extracted using two solvent extraction systems; namely; hexane and chloroform/methanol. The chloroform/methanol system afforded a higher oil yield for each tree nut type examined (pine nut had the highest oil content; […]
Elimination of Aspergillus parasiticus from nut surface with low pressure cold plasma (LPCP) treatment
Low pressure cold plasma (LPCP) using air gases and sulfur hexafluoride (SF(6)) was developed and tested for anti-fungal efficacy against Aspergillus parasiticus on various nut samples. Artificially A. parasiticus contaminated hazelnuts; peanuts; and pistachio nuts were treated with air gases plasma and SF(6) plasma for up to 20 min duration. The sterilizing effect of LPCP […]
Pistachio nuts and serum lipid levels in patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia. 2003; Submitted to AJCN.
Objective: Clinical and epidemiological studies have reported the beneficial effects of tree nuts and peanuts on serum lipid levels. We studied the effects of consuming 15% of the daily caloric intake in the form of pistachio nuts on the lipid profiles of free-living human subjects with primary; moderate hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol greater than 210 mg/dL). […]
Pistachio nut consumption and serum lipid levels.
OBJECTIVE: Clinical and epidemiological studies have reported the beneficial effects of tree nuts and peanuts on serum lipid levels. We studied the effects of consuming 15% of the daily caloric intake in the form of pistachio nuts on the lipid profiles of free-living human subjects with primary; moderate hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol greater than 210 mg/dL). […]
Fatty acid profile; tocopherol; squalene and phytosterol content of brazil; pecan; pine; pistachio and cashew nuts
Nuts contain bioactive constituents that elicit cardio-protective effects including phytosterols; tocopherols and squalene. The objective of the present study was to determine the total oil content; peroxide value; fatty acid composition and levels of tocopherols; squalene and phytosterols in oil extracted from freshly ground brazil; pecan; pine; pistachio and cashew nuts. The total oil content […]