OBJECTIVE To compare lipid-altering effects of an almond-based diet with an olive oil-based diet, against a cheese and butter-based control diet. METHODS Forty-five free-living hyperlipidemic men (n = 12) and women (n = 33) with a mean plasma total cholesterol (TC) of 251 +/- 30 mg/dL followed one of three diets; almond-based, olive oil-based, or dairy-based for 4 weeks. Total fat in each die...

AIM To determine if almond extracts reduce the severity of chemotherapy-induced mucositis as determined through biochemical, histological and behavioural markers. METHODS Intestinal mucositis is a debilitating condition characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal mucosa experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Certain bioactive plant products have shown...

STUDY QUESTION How common is the use of herbal supplements during pregnancy and does it adversely affect the pregnancy outcome? SUMMARY ANSWER The use of herbal products during pregnancy is very common and daily almond oil spreading is associated with preterm birth (PTB). WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Herbal drugs are often promoted as 'natural' and 'safe' and such claims attract p...

Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) imaging in awake mice was used to identify differences in brain activity between wild-type, HETzQ175, and HOMzQ175 genotypes in response to the odor of almond. The study was designed to see how alterations in the huntingtin gene in a mouse model of Huntington's disease would affect the perception and processing of almond odor, an evolutionarily conserved stim...

Lingual lipase generates nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) from dietary fats during oral processing by lipolysis. Lingual lipase in rodents has strong lipolytic activity and plays a critical role in oral detection of fats. The functional activity of lingual lipase during oral processing of high-fat foods in humans remains poorly characterized. Five commonly consumed high-fat foods varying in phy...

Almond consumption is associated with ameliorations in obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The hypothesis of this 12-week randomized crossover clinical trial was that almond consumption would improve glycemic control and decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease in 20 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (9 male, 11 female; 58 years old; body mass index...

Almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.), one of the most important nut crops, requires chilling during winter to develop fruiting buds. However, early spring chilling and late spring frost may damage the reproductive tissues leading to reduction in the rate of productivity. Despite the importance of transcriptional changes and regulation, little is known about the almond's transcriptome under the cold str...

BACKGROUND Nuts appear to have cardiovascular benefits but their effect in diabetic patients is unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess effects of almond-enriched diets on insulin sensitivity and lipids in patients with normoglycemia or type 2 diabetes. DESIGN Study 1 assessed the effect of almonds on insulin sensitivity in 20 free-living healthy volunteers who received 100 g almonds...