Effect of Nuts (pistachio or Almonds) Consumption on Lipid Profile of Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Introduction: Nuts contain numerous beneficial nutritive and bioactive compounds like fatty acids, dietary fibbers, micronutrients, and phytochemicals that have shown favourable lipid-altering activity. Aim: To study the effects of nut (Pistachio or Almonds) consumption on lipid profiles of hypercholesterolemic rats. Materials and Methods: One hundred and eighty (180) adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into 9 groups (20/group): G1: control; G2: hypercholesterolemic, G3-G6: hypercholesterolemic treated with: hypocholesterolemic drug, pistachio, almonds, mixture of pistachio and almonds, G7-G9 normal rats treated with pistachio (G7), almonds (8), mixture of pistachio and almonds (G9). The experiment lasted 6 weeks after treatment. Rats were sacrificed; blood was collected for biochemical analysis. Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that diet supplemented with pistachio and/or almond induced significant decrease in TC and LDL-C, VLDL TG and Phospholipids level, while HDL-C levels were unchanged compared to hypercholesterolemic group. The decrease being more in rats treated with mixture of both nuts. The overall result, therefore, is toward a less atherogenic lipid profile. The same was observed for MDA. This may be due to interactive or additive effects of the numerous bioactive constituents found in pistachio or almonds. Nuts are rich in several beneficial compounds, as ω-6 or ω-9 or ω-23 fatty acids which have demonstrated beneficial effects on blood cholesterol and lipoprotein profiles. Conclusion: Results suggest that pistachio or almonds supplementation may improve blood lipids, ameliorate oxidative stress and this may be due to interactive or additive effects of the numerous bioactive constituents found in pistachio or almonds. Nuts may have beneficial applications in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.