ARE ALL CALORIES CREATED EQUAL?

New Study Shows a Moderate-Fat Almond Diet May Result in Greater Weight
Loss than a Low-Fat Diet Containing the Same Daily Calories

November 1, 2003 - Adding fuel to the latest debate in the nutrition
community, a study published today in the International Journal of
Obesity
shows that in two groups eating two different diets containing the same
number of daily calories over six months, one group lost more weight
than
the other.

In this study, 65 overweight and obese adults - 70 percent of whom had
type 2 diabetes - were put on one of two diets designed for weight loss.
The first group ate a liquid formula-based, low-calorie diet containing
moderate fat from almonds (39 percent total fat, 25 percent
monounsaturated
fat, 35 percent carbohydrate as percent of energy).  The second group
ate a
liquid formula-based, low-fat, low-calorie diet including self-selected
complex carbohydrates (18 percent total fat, 5 percent monounsaturated
fat,
53 percent carbohydrates as percent of energy).  The two diets' calorie
count and protein levels were equivalent.

After 24 weeks, patients on the moderate-fat diet containing almonds had
achieved a greater reduction in weight/BMI (-18 percent vs. -11
percent),
waist circumference (-14 percent vs. -9 percent), fat mass (-30 percent
vs. -20 percent) and systolic blood pressure (-11 percent vs. 0
percent).

Both groups experienced lower glucose and insulin levels.  But
medication
requirements for individuals with type 2 diabetes decreased more
steadily in
the low-calorie almond diet than the low-calorie complex carbohydrate
diet.

Potential Weight Loss Implications

The study comes at a time when the nutrition community is beginning to
wonder, based on other recent studies, whether all calories are really
created equal.  One of the most hallowed nutrition beliefs has always
been
that losing weight hinges solely on the number of calories consumed
versus
the calories burned through resting energy expenditure and physical
activity.

"There may be qualities in almonds that helped the first group lose more
weight," said Michelle Wien, Dr.P.H., R.D., C.D.E., the study's lead
researcher at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, Calif.

One possible explanation for the effects observed in Dr. Wien's study is
that the fat in almonds may not have been completely absorbed.  This is
consistent with a study published in 2001 that concluded that the cell
walls
of almonds act as a physical barrier to the absorption of fat.  The fat
is
then excreted from the body, thereby failing to contribute calories
(Ren et
al., 2001).  This has led some to question whether all of the calories
in
almonds as determined by the bomb calorimeter are actually absorbed by
the
human body.

And, Wien added, almonds are convenient and satiating.  "After hearing
the
results of this study, one of my patients has begun carrying a one-ounce
handful of almonds in a little tin that previously contained  mints,"
she
said.  "This is a satisfying on-the-go snack - and the tin helps her
control
the portion size."

Potential Diabetes Implications

This study's findings regarding diabetes were consistent with previous
research on almonds' role in controlling glucose levels in people with
type
2 diabetes.  For example, in a previous a two-phase study involving 20
healthy, free-living individuals, researchers first examined the effect
of
100 grams of almonds a day on insulin levels and fasting glucose levels.
Almonds did not cause an increase or decrease in insulin levels or
glucose.
In phase two, participants with type 2 diabetes enrolled in one of 4
diets,
and after a two-week break, they switched to another diet.  The four
diets
were high-fat with almonds, low-fat with almonds, high-fat control and
low-fat control.

This phase of the study found that fat source or fat level had positive
effects on total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and the
LDL-to-HDL
ratio with no effect on glucose control - indicating that almonds can be
included in a heart healthy diet for people with type 2 diabetes without
negatively affecting glucose level control (Lovejoy et al., 2002).

For More Information
For more information about almonds' role in heart health as well as
weight
maintenance and implications for those with diabetes, visit
www.AlmondsAreIn.com.
###