Hazelnut Health Study Pt 2

Hazelnut Health Study Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. We touched yesterday on a new study at Oregon State University focused on the health benefits of hazelnuts. The study focused on two key micronutrients, magnesium and vitamin E, that could help combat age-related problems like Alzheimers.

The study’s co-author, Alexander Michels says it’s the first study they know of focused on older individuals …

MICHELS … “And, we wanted to see if, despite changes that may occur with age, if we provide hazelnuts to people every day, do we still see benefits in terms of vitamin E and magnesium status, but maybe some other benefits that go along with it. There’s often age-related changes in how your body deals with blood sugar or blood lipids, cholesterol for instance, we wanted to see if hazelnuts or adding hazelnuts could actually reverse some of that or combat some of that.”

Michels says they wanted to find out if daily doses of hazelnuts could benefit their overall health …

MICHELS … “We were happy that, in the course of the study, we did see some improvement of blood lipids, we did see some improvement in blood glucose, which suggests that if you do see your numbers creeping up on your yearly exams with your doctors there’s something, at least on a dietary level, that is a simple dietary approach you can take that will help you out.”

And, he says, the local crop should work just fine …

MICHELS … “It’s nice to have these kinds of studies that really say it doesn’t matter if you get your hazelnuts from one place or another, but Oregon hazelnuts do seem to fit with the general theme that they’re beneficial for your diet so, don’t be picky about your nuts.”

The OSU Foundation and the Hazelnut Marketing Board of Oregon funded the study.

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