Abstract
Background and aim
Effects of pistachio nuts consumption on plasma lipid profile and oxidative status
were investigated in healthy volunteers with normal lipid levels.
Methods and results
The study was conducted in 24 healthy men and 20 healthy women. All subjects consumed
their regular diets during a 1-week period. After this period, half of the subjects
(12 men and 10 women, mean age 32.8 ± 6.7 years) were randomized to a regular diet group and the other half (12 men and 10 women,
mean age 33.4 ± 7.2 years) were randomized to a pistachio group which involved substituting pistachio
nuts for 20% of their daily caloric intake for 3 weeks. Plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein
(HDL), triglyceride, malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant potential (AOP) were measured
before and after the dietary modification from all the subjects. After 3 weeks, with the pistachio diet, the mean plasma total cholesterol, MDA levels and,
total cholesterol/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were found to be significantly decreased
(P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively); on the contrary, HDL and AOP levels, and AOP/MDA ratios were
significantly increased (P < 0.001, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Triglyceride and LDL levels also decreased but this was not statistically
significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
These results indicated that consumption of pistachio nuts decreased oxidative stress,
and improved total cholesterol and HDL levels in healthy volunteers.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 09, 2006
Accepted:
August 5,
2005
Received in revised form:
July 7,
2005
Received:
November 8,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
