Please Pass the Pistachios

In a study that rocks the wobbly foundation of the low fat diet for heart health paradigm¹ (which is of course a major fraud), LDL cholesterol Low-density lipoprotein. It is a group of lipids and proteins that allow lipids like cholesterol, triglycerides, and fat soluble nutrients (Vitamin A, D, E , K, Q 10, carotenes) to be transported with the water-based bloodstream. was lowered by 8% when participants ate 20% of their calories per day from pistachios (34% fat diet). 

Pistachios are not some kind of wonder nut loaded with healthy omega 3 oils.  They don’t possess some superstar nutrient that will be the next blockbuster MLM product.  They are rather mundane and contain a lot of fat, including saturated fat.

In this study, participants were not over eating total calories; they were simply including pistachios and the more the better.  This indicates that fat, in and of itself, is not bad (even saturated fat).  There is a lot of research to show that it is actually fat in conjunction with sugar, both consumed in large and excess amounts, that causes a lot of problems for your health.  However, fat in and of itself is actually needed to stimulate healthy fat and cholesterol metabolism, and this simple study proves the point.

The study also helps prove that a low fat diet is not necessarily heart friendly.