Health · Medical Research · 2 hrs ago
Daily almonds linked to lower cholesterol in adults with metabolic syndrome
A clinical trial found that adults with metabolic syndrome had lower cholesterol after eating almonds for 12 weeks.
The condition includes risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol.
The trial involved 77 adults, with one group eating 56 grams, or about 45 almonds, each day and the other eating cookies with the same number of calories.
The almond group had lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the cookie group by the end of the study.
The researchers also recorded a modest waist-circumference reduction at week four, but participants’ body weight did not change.
Some gut inflammation markers improved only among participants who already had high inflammation at the start.
The study tested almonds as a replacement for another snack, so it does not show what happens when almonds are added to a diet or establish a recommendation for everyone.
A randomized clinical trial found that adults with metabolic syndrome who ate 56 grams of almonds daily had lower total and LDL cholesterol after 12 weeks than adults given calorie-matched cookies.
The trial included 77 adults, with 38 assigned to almonds and 39 to cookies.
The almond group also had a moderate reduction in waist circumference at week four, while body weight and calorie intake did not change.
Improvements in fecal markers of intestinal inflammation were reported only among participants whose inflammation levels were high at the start.
The findings relate to this specific group, amount and food comparison, and do not establish a general recommendation for everyone.
- Who
- 77 adults with metabolic syndrome took part in the trial.
- What
- Researchers compared daily almonds with calorie-matched cookies and reported lower total and LDL cholesterol in the almond group after 12 weeks.
- When
- The intervention lasted 12 weeks. The article was published on 2026-11-04.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- The study examined the effects of almonds compared with an equal-calorie snack. The reason for conducting the study is not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The trial enrolled 77 adults with metabolic syndrome and assigned them to almond or cookie groups.
The almond group had a moderate reduction in waist circumference.
The almond group had lower total and LDL cholesterol than the cookie group.
- Participants
- 77 adults with metabolic syndrome
- Almond group
- 38 participants; 56 grams daily, about 45 almonds
- Comparison group
- 39 participants; cookies with the same calorie content
- Trial length
- 12 weeks
- Cholesterol outcome
- Lower total and LDL cholesterol in the almond group
- Waist measurement
- Moderate reduction in the almond group at week four