Pistachios may reduce risk of heart-disease

A diet including pistachio nuts results in significantly-reduced markers of inflammation at the cellular level, when compared to the average US diet, according to new data presented at the American Diabetic Association's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Chicago.

A randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study, by Penn State University, examined changes in inflammation-related gene expression and evaluated the effects of pistachio-rich diets on heart disease risk factors in subjects with moderately-elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Participants followed three diets, two with different levels of pistachio consumption (around 1.5oz and 3.0oz) and one without.

The results support recent studie conducted both by Penn State and the University of Toronto, Canada, that show a diet rich in pistachios helps to improve a range of heart disease risk factors.