Almond consumption effectively reduces blood lipid levels, thus reducing risk of heart disease.
Systematic Review Almond Cholesterol
The researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis drawing on data from controlled randomised trials. Their search of the scientific literature led them to a total of eighteen relevant publications and twenty-seven datasets, which offered a comparison between almond consumption and a control group. They then unified the studies by pooling the mean differences in the effects on each blood lipid parameter using a random-effects model.
The analysis found that consuming almonds had a marked beneficial effect on levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and TAG (triacylglycerol). However, it did not significantly affect HDL-cholesterol levels. This supports data from previous observational and large-scale interventional studies that showed nut consumption reduces the risk of heart disease. This goes to show that including nuts in a balanced diet is advisable for maintaining healthy blood lipid levels and preventing heart disease.
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