According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating pistachios after a meal could reduce the risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease. A total of ten healthy volunteers participated in two studies. Study one assess the dose-response effect of 28, 56 and 84 grams of pistachios consumed alone or co-ingested with white bread (50 grams available carbohydrate).
Study Two assessed the effective dose (56 grams) of pistachios on after-meal glycemia consumed with different commonly consumed carbohydrate foods (50 grams available carbohydrate). Relative glycemic responses (RGRs) of meals in the study compared with white bread were assessed over the two-hour after-meal period. The addition of 56 grams of pistachios to carbohydrate foods significantly reduced the RGR. Pistachios consumed alone had a minimal effect on after-meal glycemia and when taken with a carbohydrate meal RGR.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011;65:696-702)
HealthKeepers Magazine August 2011