Cholesterol: Almonds protect the heart
Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Almonds are considered to be particularly healthy. The small powerhouses protect the blood vessels and the heart by regulating the cholesterol level. More precisely, they reduce the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood and increase the levels of the “good” HDL type cholesterol.
Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are beneficial. It transports excess cholesterol from the body's cells to the liver, where it is broken down. If this does not happen, it can build up on the inner walls of the blood vessels and form plaques there. "There are many studies showing that a diet high in almonds lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood - a major risk factor for heart disease," said Kris-Etherton of Pennsylvania State University. The influence of almonds on HDL cholesterol levels, on the other hand, has hardly been researched so far.
Garbage bags for cholesterol
The researcher and her team have now made up for this. They investigated whether 43 grams of almonds a day had a positive effect on the amount and, above all, the function of HDL in the subjects' blood.
"At the beginning the HDL molecule is very small. It resembles a garbage bag that slowly gets bigger and bigger as it collects cholesterol from cells and tissues," explains Kris-Etherton. Depending on how much cholesterol the HDL collects, it is divided into five different categories: The HDL that collects the most cholesterol is called α-1 HDL.
People of normal weight benefit
Compared to an almond-free diet, the “almond diet” increased the amount of α-1 HDL by almost 20 percent. And the functionality of the HDL was also improved by six percent, at least in subjects of normal weight. In contrast, the almonds had no positive effect on overweight participants.
"Almonds apparently encourage the formation of large HDL particles," says Kris-Etherton. And according to previous studies, this lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Almonds or muffin?
A total of 48 men and women with elevated LDL cholesterol levels took part in the two-part study. The subjects ate the same cholesterol-lowering diet for twelve weeks. With one exception: Half of the time they nibbled 43 grams of almonds a day, and for the next six weeks they were given a banana muffin instead.
At the end of each diet period, the scientists analyzed the amount and functionality of HDL cholesterol in each participant and compared the values with those at the start of the study.
Healthy snack for in between
"Almonds are not a panacea, but when consumed in moderation, they are a great addition to a healthy diet," concludes the researcher. In addition to being beneficial to the heart, they would also be high in good fats, vitamin E, and fiber. The study was financially supported by the Almond Board of California.
Cholesterol is an important component of the cell walls and, among other things, serves the body as a precursor for vitamin D, bile acid and steroid hormones such as testosterone and cortisol. Humans take in cholesterol through food, but they also produce it themselves. The problem: Too much cholesterol in the blood promotes calcification of the arteries and thus increases the risk of a heart attack. For transport in the blood, cholesterol is bound to certain proteins, the lipoproteins - including LDL and HDL.
Tags: Diseases organ systems prevention
