Re: More good news about peanuts and walnuts

[Guest guest]

Mike: very interesting. Unfortunately the study was funded by the Peanut

Institute who are not exactly objective. I'd love to see something similar

from a better source.

Walnuts are a nut but peanuts are a legume (like lentils and beans). And

legumes are packed with nutrients. BTW be sure and get peanut butter that

is pure, such as is sold in Fresh Fields; that is without the additives

(sugar, salt, etc.) that you find in the regular supermarket.

on 12/4/2004 1:38 AM, mikesheldrick at mike@... wrote:

>

> Two interesting studies below

>

> Mike

>

> USDA data shows that peanuts can be mother nature's vitamin pill

> December 1, 2004

>

> ALBANY, Ga. -- A new study from The Pennsylvania State University

> shows that just one serving of peanuts or peanut butter a day can

> help children and adults meet requirements for nutrients often

> lacking in American diets. This data from a United States Department

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike:

Thanks for posting that info on walnuts. I used to eat walnuts, but

I no longer do. The explanation follows. As you may know there is

an alternative point of view - yet it does not disagree with the

details of that study, only with the conclusion!

It is well documented that the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in

walnuts (and some other foods) has a considerable protective effect

against CVD. CVD is a major risk for those with type 2 diabetes. So

if I had diabetes, like the people in that study, or if for some

other reason I was at high risk for it, or CVD, I might be tempted to

eat more ALA (perhaps in the form of walnuts) despite its drawbacks.

But since I do not have diabetes, show no signs of getting it, and

since CR dramatically reduces my chances of ever getting it, or CVD,

and since I have, as far as I know, no risk factors for either, I

feel no need to run the extra risk of prostate cancer that is

associated with consumption of ALA. So I avoid foods containing ALA

(walnuts being near the top of that list) to the extent that I

reasonably can without going hogwild and overboard about it.

(This ALA/prostate cancer link has been extensively posted about here

within the past year. The risk of this form of cancer, very nearly

as common among men as breast cancer is among women, is more than

doubled in those consuming the highest amounts of ALA).

PMID: 15213050

Rodney.

--- In , " mikesheldrick " <mike@s...>

wrote:

>

> Two interesting studies below

>

> Mike

> New clinical study shows walnuts protective for people with type 2

> diabetes

> December 1, 2004

>

> SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A new study done in Australia shows that, for

> patients with type 2 diabetes, a whole foods diet including walnuts

> can reduce LDL " bad " cholesterol by 10%. Findings of this new study

> are published in the December 2004 issue of Diabetes Care, a

journal

> of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), under the

> title, " Including Walnuts in a Low Fat/Modified Fat Diet Improves

> HDL Cholesterol-to-Total Cholesterol Ratios in Patients With Type 2

> Diabetes. "

> According to the ADA:

> More than 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease or

> stroke.

> There are 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the

> population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have

> been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.2 million people (or nearly one-

> third) are unaware that they have the disease.

> Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

> The World Health Organization reports that at least 171 million

> people worldwide have diabetes and this figure is likely to more

> than double by 2030 to reach 366 million.

> Tapsell, Ph.D., APD, director of the National Centre of

> Excellence in Functional Foods, located at the University of

> Wollongong, Australia, and primary investigator for this study

> says, " This is one of the first studies to look at the effect of

> polyunsaturated fatty acids on diabetes management. Walnuts are an

> easy and convenient way of getting polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty

> acids into the diet. And they're particularly important for people

> with diabetes because they're a simple snack food, which is an

> integral component of managing the diet in diabetes. "

> University of Wollongong Press Release:

> The good oil in walnuts helps Diabetes patients

> People developing Type 2 Diabetes know they need more than an apple

> a day to keep the doctor away. But a handful of walnuts might help.

> Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats, Omega oils and vitamins.

> Researchers at the University of Wollongong's Smart Foods Centre

> today released the results of a study that shows how to harness the

> nutritional value of walnuts, especially the " good " oils, to help

> people manage their diet better in the early stages of Type 2

> Diabetes Mellitus.

> The research showed that including walnuts in the diet improves the

> relative amounts of " good " cholesterol in this group of patients.

> The research findings are in the December issue of the

international

> journal Diabetes Care, published in the United States.

> That's good news for Australia's 1.2 million people suffering from

> Diabetes, and the further two million estimated to have pre-

Diabetes

> and be at risk of developing the disease.

> National Centre of Excellence for Functional Foods and former Smart

> Foods Centre Director Professor Tapsell said the research had

> demonstrated how a diet including 8-10 walnuts a day delivered the

> right kinds of fats and fatty acids that might help the body

address

> one of the problems associated with early stage Type 2 Diabetes --

> insulin resistance -- which hinders the absorption of glucose from

> the bloodstream into human cells.

> " We understood the relationship between insulin resistance and

fatty

> acids, and when we looked at the composition of walnuts we thought

> that they could be useful in delivering the right kinds of fatty

> acids. We knew walnuts contained substantial amounts of these fats,

> so our challenge was to prove that the theoretical benefits were

> real, " Professor Tapsell said.

> The team of dietitians from the Smart Foods Centre and the

Illawarra

> Diabetes Service developed individualised diets for around 60

people

> with Type 2 Diabetes for the six-month study. The diets were based

> on the core food groups of cereals and breads, fruit and

vegetables,

> lean meat, fish, low-fat dairy products, oils, avocadoes, peanut

> butter and nuts. Each diet in the treatment group included 30g of

> walnuts (equivalent to around 8-10 nuts) per day.

> The diets were carefully modelled to balance all the other dietary

> factors such as carbohydrates, proteins, calories and fats from the

> other foods to ensure the benefit was correctly attributed to the

> walnuts.

> " The walnuts took the guesswork out of getting the right fats into

> the diet. We knew walnuts would deliver, " Professor Tapsell

> said. " Thus, people with type 2 diabetes could ask their doctor or

> dietitian about the benefits of including walnuts in their dietary

> management. "

> Professor Tapsell said the study had been important because it

> confirmed the theoretical benefits of a certain food. " Food

> companies need this kind of research because it assists them in

> making legitimate claims about the benefits of certain foods. This

> particular research finding is also useful for doctors and

> dietitians when they provide advice to people on how to get good

> fatty acids into their diets, " she said.

> SOURCE California Walnuts

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

>

> It is well documented that the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

> in

> walnuts (and some other foods) has a considerable protective effect

> against CVD. CVD is a major risk for those with type 2 diabetes.

>

>... if for some reason I was at high risk for diabetes, or CVD,

> I might be tempted to

> eat more ALA (perhaps in the form of walnuts) despite its drawbacks.

>

When you see at walnuts for decreasing risk for CVD, one very

important issue, not usually reported is that those nuts have a high

ratio of arginine vs. total aminoacids, and this plays a big role

when speaking about NO2 production, and endothelium protection of

blood vessels ([1] http://tinyurl.com/5fy4b ). Besides, walnuts have

a very high ORAC punctuation, and a lot of phytonutrients: not only

ALA here.

Willie.

[Guest guest]

Hi Willie:

Just to be clear why I emphasize the ALA in walnuts ........... ALA

has often been shown to have beneficial effects for CVD. But, even

with all the reasons for these benefits from walnuts I personally

would prefer to try to get those benefits from sources that do not

contain ALA, because of ALA's apparent added risk of prostate

cancer. Prostate cancer is a very common disease.

In addition, CVD risks do seem to be greatly diminished in CR (risk

markers in WUSTL study). So CVD may be something those on CR can

afford to pay a little less attention to than the general

population. Just my approach.

Rodney.

> >

> > It is well documented that the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

> > in

> > walnuts (and some other foods) has a considerable protective

effect

> > against CVD. CVD is a major risk for those with type 2 diabetes.

> >

> >... if for some reason I was at high risk for diabetes, or CVD,

> > I might be tempted to

> > eat more ALA (perhaps in the form of walnuts) despite its

drawbacks.

> >

>

> When you see at walnuts for decreasing risk for CVD, one very

> important issue, not usually reported is that those nuts have a

high

> ratio of arginine vs. total aminoacids, and this plays a big role

> when speaking about NO2 production, and endothelium protection of

> blood vessels ([1] http://tinyurl.com/5fy4b ). Besides, walnuts

have

> a very high ORAC punctuation, and a lot of phytonutrients: not only

> ALA here.

>

> Willie.