Pistachios may help heart health

FAIRFAX, Va., June 12 (UPI) -- A daily dose of pistachios may offer protective benefits against cardiovascular disease, according to U.S. researchers.

Dr. James N. Cooper, of George Mason University, and Michael J. Sheridan, of Inova Fairfax Hospital, found that in people with moderately high cholesterol levels, a daily diet consisting of 15 percent of calories from pistachios -- about two to three ounces or one to two handfuls of kernels -- over a four-week period favorably improved some blood lipid levels.

"These results are exciting because the research indicates that adding pistachios to the daily diet can help protect the heart without a dramatic dietary lifestyle change," Cooper said in a statement.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, challenges the previously-held belief that a low-fat diet is best for heart health.

Studies now show that a diet with a moderate amount of healthy mono-unsaturated fat, like the kind found in pistachios, is a more effective way to prevent heart disease than reducing overall fat intake, said Cooper.