Higher nut consumption may improve serum cholesterol

Arch Intern Med. 2010;170:821-827. [May 10, 2010]

Higher nut consumption is associated with lower serum cholesterol levels, especially among individuals with higher baseline low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or lower body mass index, according to researchers from Loma Linda University in California. They combined data from 25 trials on nut consumption involving 583 subjects with normal or elevated cholesterol who were not taking lipid-lowering medications. The subjects had a mean daily consumption of 67 g of nuts (almonds, walnuts, and other nuts). This nut consumption was associated with an average 5.1 percent decrease in total cholesterol concentration, a 7.4 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol, and an 8.3 percent change in their ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Also, triglyceride levels declined by 10.2 percent among subjects whose triglyceride levels initially were high (at least 150 mg/dL), but this was not the case for those with lower initial triglyceride levels.