title: The effects of almond consumption on fasting blood lipid levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
abstract: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials was undertaken to determine the effects of almond consumption on blood lipid levels, namely total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), TAG and the ratios of TC:HDL-C and LDL-C:HDL-C. Following a comprehensive search of the scientific literature, a total of eighteen relevant publications and twenty-seven almond-control datasets were identified. Across the studies, the mean differences in the effect for each blood lipid parameter (i.e. the control-adjusted values) were pooled in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. It was determined that TC, LDL-C and TAG were significantly reduced by -0·153 mmol/l (P< 0·001), -0·124 mmol/l (P= 0·001) and -0·067 mmol/l (P= 0·042), respectively, and that HDL-C was not affected (-0·017 mmol/l;P= 0·207). These results are aligned with data from prospective observational studies and a recent large-scale intervention study in which it was demonstrated that the consumption of nuts reduces the risk of heart disease. The consumption of nuts as part of a healthy diet should be encouraged to help in the maintenance of healthy blood lipid levels and to reduce the risk of heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy , 2233 Argentia Road, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2X7 , Canada.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Musa-Veloso
authors.affiliation: Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy , 2233 Argentia Road, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2X7 , Canada.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paulionis
authors.affiliation: Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy , 2233 Argentia Road, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2X7 , Canada.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.affiliation: Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy , 2233 Argentia Road, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 2X7 , Canada.
authors.forename: Han Youl
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Almonds; Blood lipids; CAD, coronary artery disease; Cholesterol; HDL-C, HDL-cholesterol; LDL-C, LDL-cholesterol; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; TAG; TC, total cholesterol