All types of nuts lower cholesterol but pistachios do even more to protect the heart. A study at Penn State University found that pistachios lower the amount of oxidized “bad” cholesterol, believed to be more deadly than simply elevated cholesterol, because it speeds up deposits of plaque in arteries.
Oxidized cholesterol is somewhat like cooking oil turned rancid but antioxidants in the blood can have a refreshing effect, so to speak, reducing the rancidity. In the study, blood tests of 28 people who ate about 1.5 ounces of pistachios (approximately 75 nuts) daily for four weeks showed higher levels of antioxidants, as well as less oxidized cholesterol.
The antioxidants in pistachios include lutein and zeaxanthin. Both are known to protect vision and reduce risk for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in this country.
Pistachio Benefits:
• In other research at Penn State University, eating 1.5 ounces of pistachios daily for four weeks reduced the effects of stress on blood pressure. During the study, stress was induced in two ways: having young men do a math test and having them put one foot in a bucket of ice water for two-and-a-half minutes. In both situations, stress induced rise in blood pressure was significantly less among men who were regularly eating pistachios.
• A study at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that eating 2 ounces of pistachios daily for at least three week significantly increased blood levels of vitamin E, helping to reduce the risk of lung, prostate, and other cancers.
• Studies at the University of Toronto have found that pistachios help to control blood sugar, which reduces the odds of weight gain and diabetes.
• When researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, compared the effects of pistachios and pretzels in a weight-loss diet, they found that equal calories of both foods produced equal weight loss. However, pistachios lowered triglycerides, blood fats that affect risk for diabetes and heart disease, whereas pretzels did not have this beneficial effect.
• In animal research, pistachios decreased chronic inflammation, thereby decreasing risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Ways to Eat Pistachios
If you snack while watching television, eating pistachios in the shell can keep you busy for a while. You have to work harder for the calories than with chips, and unlike chips, the nuts contain about the same amount of potassium and fiber as an orange, as well as a host of other minerals, vitamins, and beneficial fats.
Compared to many other snack foods, pistachios are more versatile. You can add them to salads or stir-fried dishes, sprinkle them on pasta, crush them to coat fish, add to rice dishes or French toast batter, or make your own nut butter from shelled pistachios in a food processor. For recipes, visit www.thegreennut.org.
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