In that pistachios are known to exert heart-healthy benefits by producing a cholesterol-lowering effect and providing antioxidants, such as gamma tocopherol, that are typically found in plant foods, Ladia M. Hernandez, from Texas Woman’s University (USA), and colleagues studied 36 healthy subjects, each of whom either were assigned to an intervention group consisting of a pistachio diet or a control group. After a two-week baseline period, an intervention period of four weeks followed in which the intervention group was provided with 68 grams (about 2 ounces or 117 kernels) of pistachios per day (the control group ate a normal diet). The researchers observed a significant increase in energy-adjusted dietary intake of gamma-tocopherol at weeks three and four in those on the pistachio diet, as compared with those on the control diet. The similar effect was seen at weeks five and six among those on the pistachio diet compared with those on the control diet. For those on the pistachio diet, cholesterol-adjusted serum gamma-tocopherol was significantly higher at the end of the intervention period compared to baseline. The team comments that: “Pistachios are one of those ‘good-for-you’ nuts, and 2 ounces per day could be incorporated into dietary strategies designed to reduce the risk of lung cancer without significant changes in body mass index.”
