May 1 : According to a study by researchers at Penn State University, incorporating macadamia nuts, that are widely grown in Hawaii, into a heart healthy diet can reduce cardiovascular disease risks.

The researchers found that the Healthy Heart diet with macadamia nuts did reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with the standard American diet.

“We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are recommended as part of a healthy diet,” said Dr. Amy E. Griel, recent Ph.D. recipient in nutritional sciences.

“Macadamia nuts have higher levels of monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil compared with other tree nuts,” Griel added.

The researchers used a controlled feeding study to compare a heart-healthy diet with 1.5 ounces – a small handful – of macadamia nuts to a standard American diet.

Researchers randomly assigned participants to either the macadamia nut diet or the standard American diet and provided all meals for the participants for five weeks. The participants then switched diets and continued eating only food provided by the researchers for another five weeks.

“We observed a reduction in LDL similar to that seen with other tree nuts like walnuts and almonds,” said Griel.

The macadamia nut diet included macadamia nuts as a snack, mixed into meals, as a salad topping and in cookies and muffins.

“The total fat was the same in both diets. We substituted the macadamia nuts for other sources of fat and protein in the diet. For example, we could switch skim milk for 2 percent milk and add some macadamia nuts,” said Griel.(ANI)