"We found that eating almonds can have a significant impact in blunting the glycaemic and insulin responses of the body when fed with a carbohydrate meal," said study co-author Cyril Kendall from the University of Toronto.

Advertisement

"Almonds have already been found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and contain a variety of important nutrients," he said. "This new research shows that incorporating almonds in the diet may help in the management of blood glucose levels and the onset of such illnesses as diabetes, while promoting a healthy heart."

How the study was done
The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, looked at the effects of five meals, eaten on five different occasions, on the blood glucose, insulin and antioxidant levels of 15 healthy volunteers (eight women).

The meals were: two control test meals with white bread, test meal with white bread plus 60 grams of almonds, test meal with parboiled rice, and test meal with instant mashed potatoes. All meals were balanced for carbohydrate, fat, and protein, using butter and cheese.

Lead researcher David Jenkins reported that glycaemic indices for the rice and almond meals were significantly less than for the potato meal (38 and 55 vs. 94, respectively).

Serum protein thiol concentrations were measured to gauge the level of oxidative protein damage – increased levels associated with less damage. Jenkins and his co-workers report that, following the almond meal, thiol concentrations increased (15mmol/L), while decreases were observed following the control bread, rice, and potato meals.

“Therefore, lowering postprandial glucose excursions may decrease the risk of oxidative damage to proteins. Almonds are likely to lower this risk by decreasing the glycaemic excursion and by providing antioxidants,” said the researchers.

“These actions may relate to mechanisms by which nuts are associated with a decreased risk of CHD.”

Increased demand for almonds
Demand for almonds has increased in recent years as the tastes of various almond-eating ethnic communities have expanded into more mainstream foods. And the almond boards have provoked greater consumption of the nut through better and more frequent marketing.

The study was funded by the Almond Board of California, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canada Research Chair Endowment of the Federal Government of Canada. - (Decision News Media, December 2006)

Read more:
Almonds could help you lose weight
Almonds on par with fruit/veggies

 

Print this article on

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Senior Secretary Gauteng - North/Sandton Infrastructure Resource Gauteng - Johannesburg Management Accountant R450,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R350,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial and Project Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Accountant R380,000-420,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg SSIS Business Intelligence Specialists (SSIS; SSAS) R350,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Financial Accountant R350,000-450,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - South Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job