Eating Almonds Keeps Heart Diseases at Bay: Study

Protect heart health by eating almonds daily, suggests a research.

Almonds are rich in proteins, fiber, calcium, vitamin E and magnesium and help reduce cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes.  Scientists from the School of Life and Health Sciences at the Aston University in Birmingham found consuming almond releases anti-oxidants like falvonoids and alpha-tocopherol that help control blood pressure and boost blood flow. Their study adds evidence to the belief that the Mediterranean diet that includes healthy proportion of nuts stalls illnesses and chronic health conditions, reports the Economic Times.

The experts observed healthy young participants and middle-aged individuals who were on an almond-enriched diet for a short period of time. The trial also involved a group of subjects who were overweight and had high risk of developing heart diseases. These participants either consumed 50 grams of almonds daily or followed a normal diet.

A month later people who were on the almond rich diet had higher levels of alpha-tocopherol in their blood and experienced significant improvements in blood flow. The almond diet also averted risk of heart attacks by lowering blood pressure. The authors believe the combined effects of nutritive properties of almonds are beneficial in keeping cardiovascular diseases at bay instead of a single nutrient in an isolated form.

"Our study confirms that almonds are a superfood. Previous studies have shown that they keep your heart healthy, but our research proves that it isn't too late to introduce them into your diet - adding even a handful around 50g every day for a short period can help," said Helen Griffiths, study author and professor in Biomedical Sciences and Executive Dean of the School of Life and Health, reports the News Medical.Net.

"You could replace a daytime snack with a bag of almonds or add them to your regular meals like porridge or muesli to help reduce your risk of heart problems," she adds.