The nuts They are part of one. They receive this name because they have less than 50% water in their composition.
It has already been shown that they are foods with multiple benefits for our health: rich in protein, fiber and minerals that are essential for the body.
In addition, they are the perfect snack, since, although they are a very caloric product, in moderate portions it is very satiating to avoid snacking between meals.
Across extensive research, “scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 42.5 grams per day of most nuts, such as pistachiosas part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
And this statement has been ratified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In fact, the Spanish study has evaluated the impact of nuts on people’s health and how it influences the risk of cardiovascular disease. “The results showed that the Mediterranean diet that includes the daily consumption of nuts reduces the risk of suffering a myocardial infarction, a stroke or death from cardiovascular causes.”
“Protects cells from oxidative damage”
However, pistachio is one of the nuts with the healthiest nutritional profile, low in fat, and high in potassium. It is also a source of vitamins, specifically C and E, and rich in phytochemicals such as tocopherols, carotenoids and phenolic compounds.
And, according to recent research published in the prestigious journal , “makes the pistachio a powerful food to explore its participation in the prevention of prevalent pathologies.”
It explains that “pistachios are a caloric food”, as has already been commented”, but “they have a high content of unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated”. It is also “fSource of calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and iron“. And rich in vitamins, such as thiamine, vitamin E and folates.
“Thiamine and folates constitute normal psychological function, while vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells against oxidative damage.”
Satisfying and control body weight
Most people believe that nuts, such as pistachios, are fattening due to their high fat content. But, this is not the case, since there are numerous epidemiological studies that have shown the opposite, as highlighted by the research published in Nutrients.
For 12 weeks, a group of people who consumed 53 grams of pistachio or 56 grams of salty pretzels has been evaluated. And the result shows that its consumption is not associated with weight gain or with an increased risk of obesity. Both groups lost weight, but the group that received the pistachio supplement showed a greater reduction in BMI than the group that received the pretzel supplement.
Why are pistachios essential to fight diabetes?
A study by the Human Nutrition Unit of the , has discovered that pistachios play a fundamental role in combating diabetes, since they improve insulin resistance. The research, which is led by Dr. Mónica Bulló, has been carried out with 50 pre-diabetic people, between the ages of 25 and 65, for nine months.
And it is that, “it has been shown that its consumption reduces the increase in blood glucose levels, which take place after an ingestion, and that it could be one of the mechanisms through which the habitual consumption of pistachios could decrease the risk of developing type II diabetes. This type of diabetes can be prevented and delayed through a healthy diet and physical exercise.
blood pressure key
Regular consumption of pistachios reduces the . As the specialists of the Spanish Heart Foundation, “When blood pressure is high, the arteries harden to withstand, leading to atherosclerosis. In turn, this pathology can lead to serious complications such as heart attack or cerebral thrombosis, among other cardiovascular accidents.
In a clinical trial carried out on 28 people, for four weeks in which they followed a low-fat diet with 10% of the calories coming from pistachios (and in another group this percentage increased to 20%), it was shown that the Pistachios significantly reduce systolic blood pressure.
But, in addition, experts consider that its benefits do not depend on the dose, although it is recommended that pistachios represent at least 10% of the diet of these patients.