Pistachios recently joined the list of nutty foods, along with walnuts, that can lower your cholesterol levels.

Penn State University discovered this latest benefit of pistachios -- among the highest in antioxidants like beta-carotene, gamma-tocopherol and lutein -- after prescribing a series of diets to 28 healthy patients (ages 35-61), three of which were variations on the Step 1 Diet designed to lower cholesterol. In two of the diets, patients ate either 1.5 or 3 ounces of pistachios. And, pistachios provided either 10 or 20 percent of the energy source and up to 34 percent of the total fat.

Compared to nut-free diets, patients who ate either Step 1 diet based on pistachio nuts had lower amounts of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as bad cholesterol that causes inflammation and plaque buildup in blood vessels, and higher quantities of serum antioxidants that lower LDL levels.

The trick about eating nuts for your health: According to our recent feature, just 1.5 ounces, roughly a small handful, is all you'll need to make a difference to your health.

The Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 140, No. 6, pp 1093-1098, June 2010

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