Shop our Natural Health Supplements!

Did you know that there is an “Almond Board of California”? We didn’t either. But now we do. And now you do too. And the good folks at the Almond Board of California have put out some pretty interesting information about almonds and heath health.

According to the World Health Organization report (2004), heart disease accounts for 17.5 million deaths worldwide annually. One way to improve heart health is to make dietary choices that reduce triglyceride levels, an established risk factor for developing heart disease.

The Almond Board recently funded a study to investigate heart health risk factors, namely high triglyceride levels. During the study, human subjects ate muffin products made with pieces of whole almonds, compared to those made with oil. Researchers witnessed a delayed release of fats from the almonds into the body, which resulted in a lower rise in triglyceride levels.

“This new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, expands upon previous cardiovascular research by investigating not only how the plant cell wall may impact how fats are absorbed into the body, but also the potential impact on acute changes in triglyceride levels,” noted Dr. Sarah Berry, Nutritional Sciences Division, Kings CollegeLondon, United Kingdom. “The data suggest that an intact plant cell wall, as found in whole almonds, may impact on how much and how quickly fat is released into the blood, contributing to a lower acute rise in blood triglyceride levels.”

Now that’s a scientific mouthful, so let’s get a little more basic. Triglycerides are the primary form of fat in foods, regardless of the type of fat i.e., unsaturated or saturated. Blood triglycerides normally increase after eating a meal containing dietary fat. Elevated blood triglyceride levels are a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.

The study indicates that the fat found in whole almonds is not as quickly absorbed by the body as that found in almond oil or sunflower oil, which researchers attributed to the plant cell walls found in the whole almond nut. Researchers believe that the plant cell walls found in almonds, act as a physical barrier hindering the rate and release of the lipid during digestion. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

So what else can be found in almonds? One ounce of almonds, about a handful, offers: Fiber (3g); Calcium (75mg); Protein (6g); Iron (1.0mg); Potassium (200 mg); Saturated Fat (1g); Unsaturated Fat (13g).

Source: Almond Board of California - Wed, 12/17/2008
Source: eMaxHealth