Pistachios help lower risk of cardiovascular diseases

It is widely known that nuts are an excellent source of proteins and other healthful nutrients. Now, a team of researchers has linked the pistachio nuts to heart diseases, saying adding Pistachios in the routine diet can significantly reduce cholesterol and help keep arteries healthy.

Researchers presented their findings at Experimental Biology, a meeting of experts in Washington DC, suggesting consuming a handful or two of pistachio nuts a day can significantly lower the risk of heart disease, and prevent narrowing of the arteries.

Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition and primary investigator of the study, and other researchers at the Pennsylvania State University, suggested in their study that pistachios contain chemicals which help to prevent hard fatty deposits that gather on artery walls and reduce blood flow.

Pistachios are rich in lutein, a nutrient with a number of potentially beneficial effects that usually found in green leafy vegetables and brightly coloured fruit. Present at higher levels in the pistachio than other nuts, lutein helps prevent cholesterol from clogging up arteries.

To reach their findings, the scientists conducted a randomized, crossover design, controlled feeding experiment in order to test the effects of pistachios added to a heart healthy moderate-fat diet on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

They asked volunteers to supplement a low fat diet with pistachios. At the start of the trial participants ate an average American diet consisting of 35 per cent total fat and 11 per cent saturated fat for two weeks.

They were then put on to one of three different diets, all variants of a cholesterol-lowering, low-fat diet. They were tested for four weeks with these three diets, each with a two-week break between each diet.

Among the three diets, one included no pistachios, which had 25 percent total fat and eight percent saturated fat, the second 1.5 ounces of pistachios a day with 30 percent total fat and eight percent saturated fat, and the third three ounces of pistachios a day with 34 percent total fat and eight percent saturated fat.

The first two groups, who ate the pistachios, either consumed the nuts alone as a snack or incorporating them into cereal, muffins and pesto sauce.

After just a month, cholesterol levels were significantly lower among the pistachio eaters. Volunteers who ate three ounces of pistachios a day for one month lowered their total blood cholesterol by 8.4 per cent, while their low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cholesterol, fell by 11.6 percent.

In addition, non-high density lipoproteins (non-HDL), considered reliable predictors of cardiovascular disease risk, went down by 11.2-percent. And the balance between 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol was also boosted. Pistachio eaters had less LDL relative to HDL after four weeks.

"One or two handfuls of pistachios reduced risk for cardiovascular disease by significantly reducing cholesterol," researcher Sarah Gebauer of Pennsylvania State University said.

'Our study has shown that pistachios, eaten with a healthy heart diet, may decrease a person's cardiovascular disease risk profile,' Etherton said.

Besides the greater source of protein like all other nuts, Pistachios are also rich in fibre and healthy fats. The pistachio nut, one of the oldest edible nuts on the planet, is believed to have originated in the Middle East where it grew wild for thousands of years.

Pistachios are now available across the globe in roasted, salted, shelled and unsalted forms. Health experts suggest it is best to eat unsalted rather than salted pistachios as too much salt can raise blood pressure. However, both types should have the same effect on cholesterol.