Larry Langdon
/ Categories: Alternative Medicine

Benefits of Almonds high in vitamin E

almonds

Almonds are high in Vitamin E and magnesium, both of which have been linked to improvements in memory, learning and cognition.  A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that consuming almonds increases vitamin E levels in the plasma and red blood cells, and also lowers cholesterol levels.

"This study is important because it shows that eating almonds can significantly boost levels of vitamin E in the diet and bloodstream. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that defends your cells against damage on a daily basis and prevents artery-clogging oxidation of cholesterol. Eating a handful of almonds a day is a great way to get the vitamin E your body needs to stay healthy."

  • Ella Haddad, DrPH, RD, Loma Linda University, CA

A study, published in 2015 in Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, looked at nut consumption and cancer risk.

They found that individuals who consumed higher quantities of peanuts, walnuts, and almonds had their risk of breast cancer reduced by 2–3 times.

In a study, published in 2014, scientists found that almonds significantly increased the amount of antioxidants in the bloodstream, reduced blood pressure, and improved blood flow.

Almonds contain relatively high levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant. In fact, they are one of the best natural sources of vitamin E, providing 37 percent of the recommended daily intake in just 1 ounce. Vitamin E helps protect cells from oxidative damage.

Also, higher vitamin E intake has been tentatively associated with a reduced risk of certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, some cancers, and heart disease.

vitamin of almonds

 

Nutrition

Almonds are a source of vitamin E, copper, magnesium, and high-quality protein; they also contain high levels of healthy unsaturated fatty acids along with high levels of bioactive molecules (such as fiber, phytosterols, vitamins, other minerals, and antioxidants), which may help prevent cardiovascular disease.

As far as vegetable foods are concerned, nuts and seeds are the richest in fiber after cereals, which could explain why almonds are good for cardiovascular health.

almonds nutrition

Almond nutritional report

Almonds are nutrient dense.

One cup of whole, raw almonds (143 grams) contains:

Water - 6.31 grams

Energy - 828 kilocalories

Protein - 30.24 grams

Total lipid (fat) - 71.40 grams

Carbohydrate, by difference - 30.82 grams

Fiber, total dietary - 17.9 grams

Sugars, total - 6.01 grams

Cholesterol - 0 grams

Calcium, Ca - 385 milligrams

Iron, Fe - 5.31 milligrams

Magnesium, Mg - 386 milligrams

Phosphorus, P - 688 milligrams

Potassium, K - 1048 milligrams

Sodium, Na - 1 milligrams

Zinc, Zn - 4.46 milligrams

Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid - 0 milligrams

Thiamin - 0.293 milligrams

Riboflavin - 1.627 milligrams

Niacin - 5.174 milligrams

Vitamin B-6 - 0.196 milligrams

Folate, DFE - 63 micrograms

Vitamin B-12 - 0 micrograms

Vitamin A, RAE - 0 micrograms

Vitamin A, IU - 3 International Units

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) - 36.65 milligrams

Vitamin D - 0 International Units

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 0 micrograms

Caffeine - 0 milligrams

health benefits

References:

health nutrition

Almonds. (2015, June). Retrieved from http://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/knowledgebase/almonds/

Almonds, basic report. (2016, May). Retrieved from https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3679?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=almonds

Brufau G, Boatella J, Rafecas M. (2006, November). Nuts: Source of energy and macronutrients [Abstract]. British Journal of Nutrition. Suppl 2:S24-8. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17125529

de Lourdes Lima, M., Cruz, T., Pousada, J. C., Rodrigues, L. E., Barbosa, K., & Canguçu, V. (1998, May). The effect of magnesium supplementation in increasing doses on the control of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 21(5), 682-686. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9589224

Heinonen, O. P., Koss, L., Albanes, D., Taylor, P. R., Hartman, A. M., Edwards, B. K., ... & Rautalahti, M. (1998, March). Prostate cancer and supplementation with α-tocopherol and β-carotene: incidence and mortality in a controlled trial. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 90(6), 440-446. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9521168

Jambazian PR1, Haddad E, Rajaram S, Tanzman J, Sabaté J. (March, 2005). Almonds in the diet simultaneously improve plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations and reduce plasma lipids [Abstract]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 105(3):449-54. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746835

Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Parker TL, Connelly PW, Qian W... Spiller GA. (2002, Sep 10). Dose response of almonds on coronary heart disease risk factors: blood lipids, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, and pulmonary nitric oxide: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial [Abstract]. Circulation. 106(11):1327-32. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12221048

Klein, E. A., Thompson, I. M., Tangen, C. M., Crowley, J. J., Lucia, M. S., Goodman, P. J., ... Karp, D. D. (2011, October 12). Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA, 306(14), 1549-1556. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1104493

Mangialasche, F., Kivipelto, M., Mecocci, P., Rizzuto, D., Palmer, K., Winblad, B., & Fratiglioni, L. (2010, January 21). High plasma levels of vitamin E forms and reduced Alzheimer's disease risk in advanced age. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 20(4), 1029-1037. Retrieved from https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad091450

MEMBERS, W. G., Go, A. S., Mozaffarian, D., Roger, V. L., Benjamin, E. J., Berry, J. D., ... Franco, S. (2014, January 21). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 129(3), e28. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5408159/

Paul A. Davis, Christine K. Iwahashi. (2001, April 10). Whole almonds and almond fractions reduce aberrant crypt foci in a rat model of colon carcinogenesis [Abstract]. Cancer Letters. Volume 165, Issue 1, Pages 27–33. Retrieved from http://www.cancerletters.info/article/S0304-3835(01)00425-6/abstract

Rodríguez-Morán, M., & Guerrero-Romero, F. (2003, April). Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic control in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes Care, 26(4), 1147-1152. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12663588

Salas-Salvadó J, Bulló M, Pérez-Heras A, Ros E. (2006, November). Dietary fibre, nuts and cardiovascular diseases [Abstract]. British Journal of Nutrition. Suppl 2:S46-51. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17125533

Sano, M., Ernesto, C., Thomas, R. G., Klauber, M. R., Schafer, K., Grundman, M., ... & Schneider, L. S. (1997, April 24). A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(17), 1216-1222. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9110909

Stampfer, M. J., Hennekens, C. H., Manson, J. E., Colditz, G. A., Rosner, B., & Willett, W. C. (1993). Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary disease in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 328(20), 1444-1449. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8479463

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