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) […]

Dried plum polyphenols attenuate the detrimental effects of TNF-alpha on osteoblast function coincident with up-regulation of Runx2; Osterix and IGF-I

Previous studies have demonstrated that dried plums which contain high amounts of polyphenols can restore bone mass and structure; and significantly increase indices of bone formation. The purpose of this study was to determine how dried plum polyphenols influence osteoblast activity and mineralized nodule formation under normal and inflammatory conditions. MC3T3-E1 cells were plated and […]

Consumption of restructured meat products with added walnuts has a cholesterol-lowering effect in subjects at high cardiovascular risk: a randomized; crossover; placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND: Diet and lifestyle are modifiable factors involved in the development and prevention of non-communicable diseases; including cardiovascular disease. Nut consumption; particularly walnut intake; has been inversely related to incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in observational studies and to improved lipid profiles in short-term feeding trials. OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential functional effect associated with […]

Small changes in snacking behavior: the potential impact on CVD mortality

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential public health impact on CHD and stroke mortality of replacing one 'unhealthy' snack with one 'healthy' snack per person; per day; across the UK population. METHODS: Nutritional information was obtained for different 'unhealthy' (such as crisps; chocolate bars; cakes and pastries) and 'healthy' snack products (such as fresh fruit; dried […]

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 […]

Characterization and Antioxidative Properties of Oligomeric Proanthocyanidin from Prunes; Dried Fruit of Prunus domestica L

A prune extract was separated by an antioxidant-guided assay to obtain an oligomeric proanthocyanidin fraction. The antioxidative oligomer was characterized as a procyanidin oligomer with an average polymerization degree of five and composed of epicatechin and catechin units. The antioxidative activity of the oligomer showed greater potency than chlorogenic acid which is known as an […]

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; […]