Eating Pistachios May Reduce The Impact Of Carbohydrates On Blood Sugar Levels
“Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among both men and women and another 20 million people are living with diabetes each year so these findings are very exciting and relevant,” said Dr. Cyril Kendall, lead researcher of the study and a professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences. “We know that controlling blood glucose levels is important for preventing and controlling diabetes and recent data indicate that it is also important in preventing heart disease. Controlling postmeal fluctuations in glucose appears to be particularly important. Pistachios have been shown to decrease risk factors for heart disease, however little has been known about the specific effects of pistachios on blood glucose until now. Our preliminary findings demonstrate that suppressing the glycemic (blood sugar) response of high carbohydrate foods may be part of the mechanism by which pistachios contribute to cardiovascular health and to the prevention and control of diabetes. More research is definitely warranted.”
The California Pistachio Commission is out in force spreading the good news about Pistachios this month.
ScienceDaily: Pistachios May Calm Acute Stress Reaction
Eating pistachios may reduce your body’s response to the stresses of everyday life, according to a Penn State study.
“A ten-year follow-up study of young men showed that those who had larger cardiovascular responses to stress in the lab, were more likely to contract hypertension later in life,” says Dr. Sheila G. West, associate professor of biobehavioral health. “Elevated reactions to stressors are partly genetic, but can be changed by diet and exercise. Lifestyle changes can make the biological reactions to stress smaller.”
West and her colleagues investigated the effects of pistachios on standardized stressors on subjects who had high cholesterol, but normal blood pressure.
The researchers found that both pistachio containing diets reduced the stress effects on blood pressure, but that the 1.5 ounce pistachio diet reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.8 millimeters of mercury while the 3-ounce pistachio diet only reduced systolic blood pressure by 2.4 millimeters of mercury. The diets had no effect on normal, resting blood pressure.”When we only look at blood pressure, these results are confusing,” says West. “If it is the pistachios, why is it not dose related?”
When the researchers looked at total peripheral vascular resistance, it was clear that the 3-ounce diet caused greater relaxation of arteries.
Those Penn State researchers sure do like pistachios. Then again, so do I.
ScienceDaily: Pistachios Lower Cholesterol, Provide Antioxidants
A handful of pistachios may lower cholesterol and provide the antioxidants usually found in leafy green vegetables and brightly colored fruit, according to a team of researchers.
“Pistachio amounts of 1.5 ounces and 3 ounces — one to two handfuls — reduced risk for cardiovascular disease by significantly reducing LDL cholesterol levels and the higher dose significantly reduced lipoprotein ratios,” says Sarah K. Gebauer, graduate student in integrative biosciences, Penn State, to attendees at the Experimental Biology meeting April 30 in Washington, D.C.
Got to be careful about those nuts - you may be tempted to avoid the fat and calories, but most of them are really good for you.