Compared to the control diet, a diet including 20 percent of calories from pistachios lowered LDL cholesterol about 12 percent and the diet containing 10 percent of calories from pistachios lowered LDL cholesterol by 9 percent. These results indicate the risk of heart disease may be lowered 10 to 12 percent. Furthermore, similar to the Sabate study, the 10 percent and the 20 percent pistachio diets, respectively, showed a dose-response lowering (P less than 0.05) of the LDL-to-HDL ratio (-3 percent and -11 percent) and the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio (-1 percent and -8 percent).

Importantly, the researchers noted that the reduction in LDL cholesterol observed was seven times greater than would be expected from only the fatty acid profile of pistachios. They suggest that the lipid-lowering effects not only reflect the fatty acid profile of the diet, but also are the result of other bioactive substances in pistachios, perhaps phytosterols and fiber. Pistachios provide 3 g of fiber in one ounce.

Pistachios Facts

Pistachios “ the only Green Nut “ are a naturally cholesterol-free snack that contains just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated fat. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, which is more nuts per serving than any other snack nut. One serving of pistachios has as much potassium (300mg, 8 percent) as an orange (250mg, 7 percent), making it a nutritious snack choice or ingredient to incorporate into daily diets.

SOURCE TheGreenNut