Pistachios are a nut that should be included in your diet if you have prediabetes or high cholesterol.

nuts They contain essential nutrients such as fiber and potassium, as well as a wide range of phytochemicals that are associated with health promotion and antioxidant capacity. According to various studies, one of the most useful is pistachiodried fruits high in lutein, beta-carotene and gamma-tocopherol.

Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, and gamma-tocopherol is a common form of vitamin E. Lutein is found in dark green leafy vegetables and is important for vision and skin health.

An international group of nutritional scientists, for example, concluded that eating as part of a healthy diet can increase levels of antioxidants

in the blood of adults with high cholesterol levels.

Another recent study from the University of Rivira and Virgili, published in Diabetes treatment claims that regular consumption of pistachios is beneficial for prediabetes as it can lower glucose and insulin levels and thus promote a healthier metabolic profile in people with prediabetes.

Risk of prediabetes

prediabetes This is a serious condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. People with prediabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. You can prevent prediabetes from developing into type 2 diabetes or delay its onset by making some lifestyle changes.

In this sense, reports on the results of clinical trials conducted by Dr. Monica Bullo

and his team from the University of Rovira e Virgili (URV) suggest that including pistachios in a varied and balanced diet is a safe nutrition strategy that may help reverse the risks associated with prediabetes.

Researchers explain that participants with prediabetes who followed the pistachio diet experienced a significant reduction in sugar and insulin levels in the fasting blood and has a beneficial effect on HOMA-IR, a marker of prediabetes.

High cholesterol

Regarding the cholesterol reaction, the concentration of small cholesterol particles LDL cholesterol decreased significantly in the group that followed the pistachio diet. Large numbers of small, dense LDL particles are associated with a three to sevenfold increase in the risk of coronary heart disease, regardless of LDL cholesterol concentration3. This information is important because people with prediabetes are more likely to develop diabetes and have a heart attack or stroke within 10 years.

Participants who did not follow the pistachio diet had significant increases in fasting blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as the HOMA-IR marker; there were no changes in signs of inflammation. There were also no changes in particle size during the study.