Healthy Nut Components Highlighted
by Karen Nachay
The skins of almonds are an important source of phytochemicals, according to Karen Lapsley, Chief Scientific Officer of the Almond Board of California. She and other experts presented research at the session, “Nuts: Phytochemicals, Health Effects, and Flavor,” on Sunday, July 18.
Almond skins contain more phenolics than flavonoids, and they are bioavailable, said Lapsley. As a result, almond skins may have potential use as a value-added ingredient, she added.
Additional researchers presented information conducted on the phytochemicals in other nuts. They showed that phytochemicals in nuts have free-radical scavenging, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, cholesterol-lowering, and cardioprotective abilities. One researcher explained that consuming mixed nuts helped to improve cardiovascular risk factors and glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes. There was a significant reduction from baseline HbA1c by -0.2±0.05 % units and a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol in the subjects who consumed 75 g of mixed nuts for 12 weeks, reported Cyril WC Kendall, Research Associate in the Dept. of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.