British Journal of Nutrition: Fat found in pistachios may not be readily absorbed by the body
July 6, 2011 in HealthA new study now appearing in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition, finds that fat in pistachios may not be completely absorbed by the body. The randomized controlled-feeding study, which is the first-of-its-kind research with nuts, indicates that pistachios may actually contain fewer calories per serving than originally thought. Conducted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the study shows pistachios to be one of the lowest calorie nuts with 160 calories per 30 gram serving (approximately 1 ounce).
The research measured the energy value of pistachios by feeding 16 healthy adults the nuts as part of a controlled diet and calculating the energy value from differences in energy excretion during the dietary treatment timeframe. The resulting energy value of one 30-gram serving of pistachios was 5.9 percent less than previous calculations.
"Pistachios convey a variety of health benefits, including weight management support and cardiovascular support," said lead ARS researcher David J. Baer, Ph.D., supervisory research physiologist with the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. "This study underscores the valuable role pistachios can play in a balanced diet in contrast to the common misperception to exclude nuts from the diet to reduce caloric intake."
Additional data from the newly published study reinforces the heart-health benefits of pistachios. The ARS researchers found that when healthy individuals included 1.5 and
3 ounces of pistachios into their typical American diet, cardio-supportive results were shown.
In addition to the new data on pistachios, a recent study by researchers at Harvard University Boston, suggests diet and lifestyle influence long-term weight gain. The consumption of nuts, as well as vegetables, whole grains, fruits and yogurt, was inversely associated with weight gain with nuts exhibiting a (-).57 pound effect on body weight. Poor diet and lifestyle choices compound over time, ultimately leading to long-term weight gain; however, the practice of mindful eating can reinforce weight management support.
Pistachios Deliver Weight Management Support Benefits
The new data demonstrating the potential calorie savings of pistachios builds on previous research showing that pistachios are a weight-wise snack. According to researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, choosing to snack on pistachios rather than pretzels not only supports body mass index (BMI) goals, but can support heart health, too.
In a 12-week randomized study, 52 overweight and obese subjects were placed on a 500-calorie deficit diet and assigned to either a pistachio snack (about 75 pistachios providing 240 calories) or a pretzel snack group (two-ounces of pretzels providing 220 calories). The results showed that the pistachio group had better success with supporting their BMI goals compared to the pretzel group, showing pistachios can be included in a healthy diet, even for those managing their weight.
Additionally, pistachios also known as the "Skinny Nut" are shown to be a "mindful snack" in terms of taking longer to eat and requiring the snacker to slow down and be more conscious of what has been consumed. According to behavioral eating expert, James Painter, Ph.D., R.D., Chair of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences at Eastern Illinois University, "Our research shows in-shell snackers eat 41-percent fewer calories than those who snack on shelled nuts. We also found that in-shell pistachios offer a visual cue to help reduce intake. When leftover shells are cleared immediately, snackers eat up to 22 percent more compared to leaving left over shells as a reminder of consumption. "
Pistachios are also a good source of fiber and protein. Providing about 49 kernels per 30-grams (approximately 1 ounce) serving, pistachios offer the most nuts per serving when compared to other popular snack nuts comparatively, almonds have 23 in a serving, walnuts 14 halves and cashews, 18.
More information: References
Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, Willett WC, and Hu FB. Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men. The New England Journal of Medicine.2011;364(25), 2392-404.
Li Z, Song R, Nguyen C, Zerlin A, Karp H, Naowamondhol K, Thames G, Gao K, Li L, Tseng CH, Henning SM, Heber D. J Am Coll Nutr. 2010; 29(3):198-203.
Honselman CS, Painter JE, Kennedy-Hagan KJ, Halvorson A, Rhodes K, Brooks L, Skwir K. Consuming Unshelled Pistachios Reduces Caloric Intake. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2010;110(9), A57S.
Kennedy-Hagan KJ, Painter JE, Honselman CS, Halvorson A, Rhodes K, Skwir K. Pistachio Shells Serve as a Visual Cue of Calorie Consumption. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2010;110(9):A58S.
Provided by Pistachio Health
-
Eating pistachios lowers cholesterol, boosts antioxidants, more
Jul 13, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Pistachios: A handful a day may keep the cardiologist away
May 17, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
A daily dose of pistachios offers potential heart health benefits
Jun 11, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Pistachios lower cholesterol, provide antioxidants
Apr 30, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Pistachio company: Raw nuts may be bacteria source
Mar 31, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
-
Limits to growth: Scientists identify key metastasis-enabling enzyme
May 22, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
-
Seeing is as seeing does: Spatially-structured retinal input in early development of cortical maps
Apr 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Dreamless nights: Brain activity during nonrapid eye movement sleep
Apr 09, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (12) |
0
-
Take your time: Neurobiology sheds light on the superiority of spaced vs. massed learning
Mar 28, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (21) |
3
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
In Spain, 70 percent of women use contraceptives during their first sexual encounter
Contraceptive use in Spain during the first sexual encounter is similar to other European countries. However, there are some geographical differences between Spanish regions: women in Murcia use contraceptives ...
Health
5 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
WHO target to cut early chronic illness deaths
The World Health Organization announced on Friday it was set to approve a new target to reduce premature deaths from chronic illnesses such as heart disease by a quarter by 2025.
Health
42 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Better response plans needed for children exposed to domestic violence
(Medical Xpress) -- Each year, millions of children are exposed to domestic violence, a traumatic experience that has been associated with cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional problems in childhood ...
Health
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Australia defiant on WTO cigarette challenge
Australia said Friday it would "vigorously defend" itself against complaints about its plan for plain cigarette packaging made by Honduras and Ukraine to the World Trade Organisation.
Health
3 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
World 'no tobacco day' puts spotlight on dangers of smoking
Its not just smokers who are at-risk when it comes to tobacco smoke exposureand the health concerns of smoking cigarettes are not limited to the most known consequence: lung cancer.
Health
5 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Inherited DNA change explains overactive leukemia gene
A small inherited change in DNA is largely responsible for overactivating a gene linked to poor treatment response in people with acute leukemia.
Physicians definitively links irritable bowel syndrome and bacteria in gut
An overgrowth of bacteria in the gut has been definitively linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the results of a new Cedars-Sinai study which used cultures from the small intestine. This is the first study to use this "gold ...
First study to suggest that the immune system may protect against Alzheimer's changes in humans
Recent work in mice suggested that the immune system is involved in removing beta-amyloid, the main Alzheimer's-causing substance in the brain. Researchers have now shown for the first time that this may apply in humans.
Implantable pain disk may help those with cancer
An estimated 3.5 million cancer patients around the globe are in severe pain from their disease, but many get no relief.
Phone contact with nurses linked with better outcomes for women with gestational diabetes
Among women with gestational diabetes mellitus, referral to a telephone-based nurse management program was associated with lower risk of high baby birth weight and increased postpartum glucose testing, according to Kaiser ...
World Health Assembly endorses new plan to increase global access to vaccines
Ministers of Health from 194 countries at the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly today endorsed a landmark Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), a roadmap to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to ...