Zonnenbloempitten
en pistachenoten verlagen cholesterol.*
Al geruime tijd is bekend dat noten en zaden een goede bron van plantensterolen zijn en dat plantensterolen zorgen voor een duidelijke verlaging van het cholesterol. Uit een zeer uitgebreid onderzoek is nu gebleken dat zonnenbloempitten en pistachenoten van alle noten en zaden de meeste plantensterolen bevatten. Overigens zitten in alle noten en zaden ook nog veel andere bioactieve stoffen die mogelijk ook voor de daling van het cholesterol kunnen zorgen, doch dat is nu niet onderzocht.
Sunflower
Seeds, Pistachios Among Top Nuts For Lowering Cholesterol
Researchers
have known for some time that nuts and seeds are rich sources of phytosterols, a
class of plant chemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and
improve heart health. In what is believed to be the most comprehensive analysis
to date of the phytosterol content of nuts and seeds, chemists at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., analyzed some 27
nut and seed products and found that pistachios and sunflower kernels had the
highest levels of phytosterols among the nuts and seeds that are most commonly
consumed as snack foods in the United States. Their study appears in the Nov. 30
issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry.
Sesame seed and wheat germ actually ranked highest but are not consumed as
frequently as individual foods, the researchers say. Brazil nuts and walnuts
ranked the lowest in phytosterols, they say. The chemists caution that
phytosterols are not the only food component involved in lowering cholesterol
and that other compounds may also play a role. A well-balanced diet and frequent
exercise are important keys to good health, they stress.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered by the U.S.
Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and
chemical engineers. It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases,
convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and
career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and
Columbus, Ohio.
Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
American Chemical Society
http://www.acs.org
(December
2005) (Opm.
Meer over cholesterol en plantensterolen hier.)
