Insights & Discussion
Almond consumption effectively reduces blood lipid levels, thus reducing risk of heart disease.
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.
Discover Related Insights
Almond intake significantly changed the concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins
2021 Food & Function The effect of almond intake on lipid profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Asbaghi O, Moodi V, Hadi A, Eslampour E, Shirinbakhshmasoleh M, Ghaedi E, et al.
Systematic Review Almond Cholesterol Triglyceride
To estimate the overall effect of almond intake, we employed the random-effect model. In total, 27 studies with 36 effect sizes were included in our analysis (1154 cases and 904 control subjects). The meta-analysis revealed that almond intake significantly changed the concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins; however it did not have a significant effect on high-density lipoprotein levels. Meta-regression analysis indicated a linear relationship between the dose of almond and change in TG. This meta-analysis concludes that almond intake can significantly reduce lipid parameters.