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Lower Your Cholesterol with Macadamia Nuts

Heart disease is all-too-common, especially in the United States. Although there’s a definite tendency for heart disease to run in families, lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking and stress also play a substantial role.

Dietary practices have long been linked to heart disease, especially the consumption of foods that help lower cholesterol levels.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine evaluated the cholesterol-lowering ability of macadamia nuts in 30 volunteers, aged 18-53. Subjects consumed three specific diets in random order: a “typical American diet,” with 37% of energy derived from fat; an American Heart Association “Step 1” diet, with 30% of energy from fat; and a macadamia-nut based diet, with 37% of energy derived from primarily monounsaturated fat.

After one month, cholesterol levels were lower in the group consuming the macadamia nut diet, compared with the other two groups. The typical American diet proved the least effective of the three diet plans in lowering cholesterol. No significant side effects were noted from ingesting large quantities of macadamia nuts, leading the authors to conclude: “Physicians can recommend the consumption of these and other nuts as part of a satisfying and healthy diet.”

Reference:

Curb JD, Wergowske G, Dobbs JC, et al. Serum lipid effects of a high monounsaturated fat diet based on macadamia nuts. Archives of Internal Medicine 2000: Vol. 160, pp1154-58.

For more information on nutrition, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/nutrients.html.