Eat almond skin for healthy skin

• In a study, published in this month's Journal of Nutrition, the antioxidants in almond skins and the vitamin E in almonds were shown to work together as an antioxidant team.
• The study was co-authored by researchers at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and the Almond Board of California.
• Almond skins have been known to contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which are a large group of plant nutrients found in wine, tea, fruits and vegetables.
• Flavonoids can act as antioxidants in the body, protecting cells from damage.
• They also can protect LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, from being attacked by oxygen or oxidized, which makes LDL stickier and more likely to clog arteries.
• Some of the 20 flavonoids identified in this analysis have been detected in other foods, such the catechins found in green tea, and naringenin, found in citrus fruit.
• "The synergy between the flavonoids and vitamin E in almonds demonstrates how the nutrients in whole foods such as almonds can impact health," says Dr. Blumberg.
• A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (February 2005) found that eating almonds as part of a diet rich in heart healthy foods such as soy, viscous fiber and plant sterols can significantly reduce cholesterol levels as much as first generation statin drugs.
• The Food and Drug Administration recognizes the heart healthy benefit of almonds as well with a qualified health claim.
• Almonds are nutritionally dense - a quality emphasized in the government's latest Dietary Guidelines.
• Ounce for ounce, almonds are the most nutritionally dense nut.
• The recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 encourage Americans to choose nutritionally dense foods - that is, to get the most nutrition possible out of the calories you eat.