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Almonds and anti-oxidants
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New research suggests that almonds help fight the signs of aging
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It has been said that beauty is only skin deep. But for almonds, the skin is as deep as you may need to go to get a real anti-oxidant punch. In a recent study published in Journal of Nutrition the anti-oxidants in almond skins and the Vitamin E in almonds were shown to work together as an anti-oxidant team.
Researchers tested the brown skins of almonds to determine their anti-oxidant content. Almond skins have been known to contain anti-oxidants known as flavonoids, which are a large group of plant nutrients found in wine, tea fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids can act as anti-oxidants in the body protecting cells from damage. They can also protect LDL (`bad' cholesterol) from being attacked by oxygen or oxidised which makes LDL stickier and more likely to clog arteries. Additionally, these plant nutrients are thought to protect the body from the effects of aging.
Almonds contain a unique combination of anti-oxidants. Some of the 20 flavonoids identified in this analysis have been detected in other foods such as catechins found in green tea and naringenin found in citrus fruits.
Almond antioxidants really make a difference to heart health. It is one thing for a food to contain anti-oxidants but do they actually do anything in the body. The team at Tufts was able to test the flavonoids alone and then in combination with Vitamin E in the blood. The results suggest that the Vitamin E and the flavonoids in the almond skins work synergistically to prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidised. In fact together, Vitamin E and almond flavonoids were more than twice as effective as when they were administered separately.
Almonds have long been lauded for their heart health benefit. A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating almonds as part of a diet rich in heart healthy food such as soy, viscous fibre and plant sterols can significantly reduce cholesterol levels as first generation statin drugs.
Almonds are nutritionally dense. In addition to flavonoids, a one ounce, 164 calorie serving of almonds or about a handful is an excellent source of Vitamin E and magnesium and a good source of protein and fibre. It also offers heart healthy mono unsaturated fat, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron.
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