Heart :: Be true to your heart with a handful of almonds

Are you looking for simple ways to improve your heart health? Including a handful of almonds, whether it?s as a snack or sprinkled throughout your day, may be one easy and satisfying way. Over the past few months, new research on almonds continues to show why including a handful of almonds can help you to be true to your heart. Here?s a look at what they are finding.

Almonds are high in several types of antioxidants. Consuming antioxidant-rich foods is thought to prevent damage to cells in your body, a mechanism implicated in the development of chronic disease. Fruits and vegetables have long been known for their antioxidant content, but more recently researchers at Tufts University discovered that almonds also contain high levels of several antioxidant compounds, in amounts similar to levels found in many fruits and vegetables. A one ounce serving of almonds or about a handful, for instance, contains the same amount of antioxidants as a serving of cooked broccoli or a serving of brewed green or black tea.

?This analysis of almond skin antioxidants sheds more light on all the nutrients in almonds that may provide a health benefit,? says study author Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. ?These new findings coupled with past results lay the groundwork for future clinical trials that examine a link between whole almond consumption and the reduced risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.?

Eating almonds may improve blood sugar levels. Keeping blood sugar levels in a normal range can help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Almonds are a food that causes a minimal rise in blood sugar levels, also known as low-glycemic.


Leave a Comment