Almonds Can Cut Cholesterol

Almonds significantly lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in people with high cholesterol enrolled in a recent study. As reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association (September 10, 2002), 27 men with high cholesterol (average total cholesterol, 260 mg/dL) ate 3 1-month diets: the first containing 74 g of almonds per day, a second containing 37 g of almonds per day, and a third containing no almonds but instead a whole-wheat muffin that contained the same amount of calories, protein, and fat as the almond diets. The 74-g and 37-g almond diets lowered LDL levels by 9.4% and 4.4%, respectively. Lead author David J.A. Jenkins, MD, of the University of Toronto, Canada, said that almonds should be eaten as part of a healthy diet and should be substituted for other foods rather than added to a daily diet, as they are high in calories and fat.