Almonds Boost Vitamin E Intake and Lower Cholesterol, New Research

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Almonds Boost Vitamin E Intake and Lower Cholesterol, New Research

11 Mar 2005 Medical News Today

Grabbing a Handful of Almonds Can Help Overcome America's Vitamin E Shortage

For those concerned about America's vitamin E shortfall, highlighted in the

government's recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, consider

grabbing a handful of almonds. A new study published in this month's Journal of

the American Dietetic Association confirms that eating almonds significantly

increases vitamin E levels in the plasma and red blood cells and simultaneously

lowers cholesterol levels. This is the first study to demonstrate that eating

almonds will result in higher vitamin E levels.

Researchers at Loma University compared the effects of healthy men and

women consuming three different diets for four weeks each, including a control

diet that didn't include almonds, a low-almond diet and a high-almond diet. The

low- and high-almond diets were designed by replacing 10 percent and 20 percent

of total calories, respectively, with almonds -- that's about one to two

handfuls of almonds a day. Study participants did not take multivitamins,

vitamin E supplements, or other dietary supplements before or during the study.

Changes in alpha-tocopherol vitamin E and cholesterol levels were evaluated

after each four-week diet.

The study found that when people ate 10 percent of their calories from almonds,

they increased their vitamin E levels by 13.7 percent. When participants

consumed 20 percent of their calories from almonds, the effect was greater,

increasing their vitamin E levels by 18.7 percent.

Participants also reduced their total cholesterol by 5 percent and lowered their

LDL or " bad " cholesterol by nearly 7 percent as a result of consuming a

high-almond diet.

" This study is important because it shows that eating almonds can significantly

boost levels of vitamin E in the diet and bloodstream, " says Ella Haddad, DrPH,

RD, an author of the study. " Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that defends

your cells against damage on a daily basis and prevents artery-clogging

oxidation of cholesterol. Eating a handful of almonds a day is a great way to

get the vitamin E your body needs to stay healthy. "

Most Americans do not get enough vitamin E in their diets. According to the

National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) Dietary Reference Intake report for vitamin

E, Americans are only consuming half of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of

15 milligrams of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E a day, bringing attention to a

vitamin E gap. The government's latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans further

emphasized America's vitamin E shortfall. The Guidelines noted current vitamin E

intake is " of concern, " stressing the need for adults to get more vitamin E from

foods in their diets.

Almonds are a leading food source of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E -- the only form

recommended by NAS. A one-ounce handful provides 7.4 mg of vitamin E, or about

50 percent of the RDA, as well as healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber,

protein and important minerals. Adding a handful of almonds to the food choices

you make throughout the day could close the gap between the recommendation and

current consumption.

For more information about vitamin E and almonds, visit GetYourE.org and

AlmondsAreIn.com.

Summary of Published Study:

Published: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 105, No. 3,

449-454, March 2005

Research Organization: Loma University

Study Title: Almonds in the diet simultaneously improve plasma alpha- tocopherol

concentrations and reduce plasma lipids

Authors: Pera R. Jambazian, DrPH; Ella Haddad, DrPH, RD; Sujatha Rajaram, PhD;

Jay Tanzman; Joan Sabate, MD, DrPH

Objective: Researcher assessed the dose-response effect of almond intake on

plasma and red blood cell tocopherol concentrations in healthy adults enrolled

in a randomized, crossover feeding trial

Subjects: Sixteen healthy men and women (8 men, 8 women) were selected from

those participating in a randomized feeding trial investigating lipid responses

to graded almond intakes.* Those selected did not take multivitamins, vitamin E

supplements, or other dietary supplements before or during the study. Pertinent

characteristics were age (between the ages of 28 and 54), body weight (150.58 to

162.48 lbs), and body mass index (calculated as kg/m(2)) 21.6 to 28.8.

Study Description: After a 2-week run-in period, participants were fed three

diets for four weeks each: a control diet, a low-almond diet, and a high-almond

diet, in which almonds contributed 0 percent, 10 percent and 20 percent of total

energy, respectively. Changes in blood tocopherol levels were assayed by high

pressure liquid chromatography.

Results: Incorporating almonds into the diet helped meet the revised Recommended

Dietary Allowance of 15 mg/day of alpha-tocopherol and increased lipid-adjusted

plasma and red blood cell alpha-tocopherol concentrations. A significant

dose-response effect was observed between percent energy in the diet from

almonds and plasma ratio of alpha-tocopherol to total cholesterol.

*Sabate J, Haddad E, Tanzman JS, Jambazian P, Rajaram S. Serum lipid response to

a graded enrichment of a Step 1 diet with almonds: A randomized feeding trial.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003; 77: 1379-1384.

The Almond Board of California administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing

Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Established in 1950, the Board's charge is to promote the best quality almonds,

California's largest tree nut crop. For more information on the Almond Board of

California or almonds, visit http://www.AlmondsAreIn.com.

Almond Board of California

http://www.AlmondsAreIn.com

http://www.GetYourE.org