Cheer for cashew lovers

Hyderabad: Regular consumption of cashew nuts may actually be beneficial for health, including for those who are suffering from type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

The study was carried out by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and other associations in a 12-week trial.

The experimental group which also had diabetic patients, were given 30 gm of raw cashew nuts every day. The control group who were suffering from diabetes were asked to continue their normal diet.

After 12 weeks, in the experimental group there was significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and there was also a significant increase in good cholesterol levels.

The study is a revelation for doctors as earlier it was believed that all nuts were bad as they contain quite a lot of calories. It was generally believed that nuts, especially cashew, increase the risk of obesity and high blood cholesterol. But during the last decade, a lot of these myths have been busted.

Cashew nuts are generally not recommended by nutritionists and doctors in India. Dr V. Mohan, chief of diabetes research says there were very few studies on cashew nuts particularly in Indians and none in people with diabetes. “For this reason we took up a large randomised clinical trial. The effect of the nut consumption was seen on body weight, haemoglobin and lipid profile.”