Eating almonds and dark chocolate lowers bad cholesterol

By 91ÊÓƵ News

Eating nearly one-third a cup of almonds a day — either alone or combined with almost one-quarter cup of dark chocolate and 2 1/3 tablespoons of cocoa a day — may reduce a risk factor for coronary heart disease, according to a new study.

The study, published Wednesday in the , found that combining raw almonds, dark chocolate and cocoa significantly reduced the number of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, particles in the blood of overweight and obese people. LDL is often called “bad cholesterol” because of the role it plays in clogging arteries.

As was the case in past studies, the key lies in how much you eat, said the study’s lead author Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., a Penn State University distinguished professor of nutrition.

“It’s important to put this into context: The message is not that people should go out and eat a lot of chocolate and almonds to lower their LDL,” she said. “People are allowed to have about 270 discretionary calories a day, and when foods like almonds, dark chocolate and cocoa are consumed together as a discretionary food, they confer health benefits unlike other discretionary foods such as frosted donuts.”

Past studies have shown health benefits from eating moderate amounts of almonds, dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa. The new study sought to see whether combining those three foods had a positive effect on the heart health of overweight and obese individuals.

Researchers studied 31 participants ages 30 to 70. For one month, participants didn’t eat any of the foods in the study. In the next one-month period, participants ate 42.5 grams of almonds a day; in the third period, they ate 43 grams of dark chocolate combined with 18 grams of cocoa powder; in a fourth period, they ate all three foods.

The study showed almonds eaten alone lowered LDL cholesterol by 7 percent compared with the period when participants didn’t eat any of the study foods. Combining almonds with dark chocolate and cocoa also reduced small, dense LDL particles that are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, Kris-Etherton said.

Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., Gershoff professor at Tufts University and director of the school’s Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, said it’s important to note that participants ate the almonds in place of dairy fat as part of a healthy diet.

“This was a very well controlled study that demonstrated replacing saturated fat coming from dairy fat (butter and cheese) with unsaturated fat coming from nuts (almonds) had a positive effect on plasma lipid concentrations,” said Lichtenstein, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Kris-Etherton agreed that when it comes to fats, almonds are a much better choice than butter and cheese.

“That’s clearly an important message here,” she said. “Almonds can be part of a healthy diet.”

Eating dark chocolate and cocoa alone didn’t appear to have a major effect on heart health, she said. “Chocolate doesn’t increase cholesterol levels, but it doesn’t decrease cholesterol levels either.”

Still, cocoa — a major ingredient in chocolate — may prove to be the next frontier in health research, according to Kris-Etherton. A 2014 study published in showed eating cocoa flavanols was associated with reduced age-related cognitive dysfunction. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are 18,000 American men and women to see if daily supplements of cocoa flavanols reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

“Cocoa is a plant food with a lot of bioactive components,” Kris-Etherton said. “There might be benefits we don’t even know about … and it’s delicious even without sugar. I would love to see healthy ways to eat cocoa becoming mainstream.”

If you have questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].


91ÊÓƵ News Stories

91ÊÓƵ News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in 91ÊÓƵ News stories reflect the official position of the 91ÊÓƵ. Statements, conclusions, accuracy and reliability of studies published in 91ÊÓƵ scientific journals or presented at 91ÊÓƵ scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the 91ÊÓƵ’s official guidance, policies or positions.

Copyright is owned or held by the 91ÊÓƵ, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt from or reprint these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to 91ÊÓƵ News.

Other uses, including educational products or services sold for profit, must comply with the 91ÊÓƵ’s Copyright Permission Guidelines. See full terms of use. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service.

HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately.