Researchers conclude that pistachios benefit heart health

NEW ORLEANS Despite a recent nationwide recall of pistachios amid a salmonella scare at a California processing plant, the nuts have a range of health benefits, according to a study by researchers from the University of Toronto and the University of California at Los Angeles.

The study, presented this week at Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans, indicates that the nuts can benefit cardiovascular health and blood sugar control and help spur weight loss.

The researchers randomly assigned overweight adults to follow diets for three months that eliminated 500 calories a day and add an afternoon snack of either 2 oz. of unsalted pretzels or 3 oz. of in-shell pistachios, totaling 220 and 240 calories, respectively. The subjects who ate pistachios lost a statistically significant amount of weight, enough to reduce body mass index from 30.88 to 28.84, equivalent to a weight loss of 10 to 12 pounds for most adults of average height. After six weeks, the subjects given pistachios also had significantly less fat in the bloodstream than those given pretzels.

When assigning subjects to another diet that included white bread alone, white bread with butter and cheese or white bread with 2 oz. of pistachios, the researchers found that pistachios blunted the body’s blood sugar response, delayed gastric emptying and increased levels of hormones that produce satiety.

“Our results are promising because they show that pistachios can be part of a successful weight loss program, and they provide the added benefits of helping to control blood lipids, like triglycerides and LDL cholesterol,” one of the researchers, named only Dr. Heber of UCLA, stated.