Originally published June 26 2005
Study: Including almonds as part of healthy diet can reduce inflammation, help heart
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A University of Toronto study shows including almonds as part of a health diet can reduce inflammation of blood vessels, which is bad for the human heart, reports Western Farm Press.
A new study from the University of Toronto suggests that eating a healthy diet, including almonds, reduces inflammation by about the same level as taking a first-generation statin drug.
The study, published this month in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that following a dietary portfolio that includes almonds not only lowers cholesterol levels, but also C-reactive protein levels, a key marker of inflammation and an independent risk factor for heart disease.
Almonds help reduce inflammation of blood vessels.
It increases your risk of developing atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), and studies suggest a strong association between inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease.
A dietary pattern that reduces inflammation and cholesterol can truly be called "heart healthy."
The liver, in response to inflammation, produces C-reactive protein.
As inflammation increases, so do levels of C-reactive protein.
In this study, 34 individuals followed a dietary plan, called the Portfolio Eating Plan, which included almonds.
Those who followed the dietary plan lowered their C-reactive protein levels 24 percent from baseline, which is similar to the reduction achieved by taking a first-generation statin drug (16 percent) --- without the side effects of taking the pills.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February 2005 examined this same study group found that when directly compared to first-generation statins, the Portfolio Eating Plan diet, including almonds, is just as effective in lowering LDL, or "bad," cholesterol below the recommended range for heart disease prevention.
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.
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