Almonds for Weigth Control

The latest news on nuts comes from a Purdue University study showing that snacking on 1.5 ounces of almonds daily reduced hunger and didn't lead to weight gain, even though participants continued eating their customary daily diets. The investigators also reported that by eating almonds the study participants boosted their vitamin E levels as well as their intake of healthy monounsaturated fats. The research team recruited 137 adults at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and divided them into five groups: a control group, separate breakfast and lunch groups and morning and afternoon snack groups. All of the groups except the controls ate 1.5 ounces of almonds daily, either with meals or as morning or afternoon snacks. (Those in the control group were told not to eat any nuts or seeds for the duration of the four-week study.) All the participants (with the exception of the controls) reported daylong reductions in hunger and the desire to eat, particularly those in the "snack" groups. No one gained weight. The researchers suggested that this might be due to compensating for nut consumption by unconsciously eating less food at meals or to inefficient absorption of calories from the almonds.