Pistachios, The Healthy Nut!

The Snack That Loves You Back

I love pistachios. Want to reduce your risk of heart disease? Eat pistachios! There is growing evidence that shows a diet that includes tree nuts, such as pistachios, is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

Want some proof?
In a 2006 study, after just three weeks on a diet that included pistachios, significant decreases were seen in total cholesterol, LDL (bad fat) and increases were seen in HDL (good fat).1

In a similar study in 2007, researchers found that in people with moderately high cholesterol, eating two to three ounces of pistachios daily over a four-week period improved their blood cholesterol levels, potentially leading to a reduced risk of heart disease.2

A is for Arginine!
Did you know that crunchy, delicious pistachios are rich in the nutrients like arginine that are thought to reduce hardening of the arteries? Arginine is beneficial because it helps make nitric oxidein the blood, and nitric oxidecan prevent build-up along your arterial walls.3 All that is a fancy way of saying pistachios can help you keep your heart clean and clear and ready for action.

Phyto-what?
Everybody’s talking about cholesterol. Well, pistachios can help you with that, too. Thanks to something called phytosterols (which pistachios have in spades)4, pistachios can actually lower your absorption of dietary cholesterol from other foods.5 That means pistachios are looking out for you and helping to keep your cholesterol at bay.

Good Fats
We all need some fat in our diet. Fat adds flavor and helps us feel full longer. The trick is to choose foods that contain good fats (unsaturated) as opposed to bad fats (saturated). Pistachios are a great choice of snack because they contain almost 90% unsaturated fat, i.e. the good stuff. By replacing the saturated fatin your diet with mono and polyunsaturated fats, you may reduce your blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease.6 So the next time you consider ordering french fries, choose a healthier, crunchier snack of pistachios instead.

The Cholesterol Police
Oxidation is a natural body process that can lead to cell damage. Like mini policemen, antioxidants can stop those chain reactions and prevent the damage. Pistachios contain high levels of the antioxidants lutein, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol, which can help reduce your cholesterol. In a study where people with high cholesterol added different amounts of pistachios to their diet, those who ate the most pistachios showed an almost 12% decrease in cholesterol, and, notably, a possible reduction of oxidized LDL (bad fat).7

9 Pistachio Facts:

Green With Envy
Per serving, pistachios have more antioxidants than green tea. That should make tea green with envy.

Power of 10
Pistachios contain more than 10 different antioxidants each of which may offer unique health benefits to stave off chronic diseases.

The Skinny on Fat
An appetite suppressing compound called oleoylethanolamide was recently discovered in monounsaturated FAT (of all places!). Fifty-five percent of the fat in pistachios is monounsaturated fat.

Trans-Fat Free
As of 2006, food manufacturers are required to list trans fat on the nutrition label. Because oils are not used during roasting, pistachios are naturally trans fat-free.

Pistachios Help Fight Cholesterol
Pistachios are a "hearty" snack offering more cholesterol fighting phytosterols than any other nut..

Pistachios = Potassium Power
Pistachios have more potassium than any other nut. Did you know a serving of pistachios has more potassium than half of a large banana? That's pretty powerful.

Going Green
The green color in pistachios comes from a compound called lutein which helps to prevent the most common form of blindness in older adults.

Full of Fiber
A serving of pistachios has 3 grams of fiber, That's more than most other snack nuts and more than many types of whole fruit. Reccomended Daily Allowance of fiber is 20-25 grams.

Nuts Over Fiber
You would have to eat three plums to get the same amount of fiber found in one serving of pistachios.


1.Kocyigit, A., Koylu, A. A., & Keles, H. (2006). Effects of pistachio nuts consumption on plasma lipid profile and oxidative status in healthy volunteers. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 16(3), 202-209.↑

2.Sheridan, M. J., Cooper, J. N. (2007). Pistachio nut consumption and serum lipid levels. J Am Coll Nutr, 26(2), 141-148 (2007).↑

3.Hu, F. B. (2003). Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr, 78(3), 544S-551.↑

4.Phillips, K. M., Ruggio, D. M., & Ashraf-Khorassani, M. (2005). Phytosterol composition of nuts and seeds commonly consumed in the United States. J Agric Food Chem, 53(24), 9436-9445.↑

5.Ostlund, R. E., Jr., Racette, S. B., & Stenson, W. F. (2002). Effects of trace components of dietary fat on cholesterol metabolism: phytosterols, oxysterols, and squalene. Nutr Rev, 60(11), 349-359.↑

6.Institute of Medicine. (2002). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.↑

7.Kay, C. D., Gebauer, S. K., West, S. G., Kris-Etherton, P. M. (2007). Pistachios reduce serum oxidized LDL and increase serum antioxidant levels. Penn State University. Presented at the Experimental Biology Conference, April 2007 in Washington, DC.↑