wfn.org | Seventh-day Adventist Leaders and Health Studies Agree-Eat More Nuts

["Beckett, John" <BeckettJ@gc.adventist.org>]

ANN Bulletin
Adventist News Network
Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters
February 23, 2000
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Washington, DC ... [ANN]  A recent medical study has confirmed that
nuts-often shunned because of their high fat content-can play a
significant role in reducing the risk of heart disease and other
chronic diseases. These results mirror findings of an earlier study,
involving 34,000 Seventh-day Adventists in California, which
demonstrated that vegetarians who frequently included nuts in their
diet reduced their risk of heart attack by up to 50 percent.

"As proponents of a vegetarian lifestyle," says Stoy Proctor, Adventist
Church health spokesperson, "the Adventist Church has long promoted
nuts as an essential source of protein, as well as a significant source
of many important vitamins and minerals."  

The latest findings, along with earlier studies, were discussed at a
January conference in London, England, which was sponsored by the
nonprofit organization Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust. At the
conference, Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, a nutritionist at Pennsylvania
State University, unveiled the results of her research indicating that
LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides can be lowered up to 10 percent with
a diet deriving the majority of its daily fat calories from peanuts and
peanut butter.	In comparison, the usual low-fat approach to lowering
cholesterol can actually raise triglycerides by up to 15 percent, the
study showed. 

The so-called "Adventist Mortality Study," an ongoing research project
affiliated with Loma Linda University in California that has tracked
34,000 Adventists for more than 20 years, has also confirmed the health
benefits of eating nuts.  Dr. Gary Fraser, professor of medicine and
epidemiology in the University's school of public health, reported his
findings in September, 1998, saying that the risk of a fatal heart
attack was cut in half among those who ate two ounces of nuts four or
five times a week, compared to those who rarely ate nuts.  

"Study after study shows that fat derived from plant sources-such as
flaxseed, soy, and walnuts-is infinitely superior to that derived from
animal sources," says Proctor.	"As a Church, we care not only about a
person's spiritual health, but their physical and emotional well-being
also. We believe that a balanced diet, along with a tobacco-free,
alcohol-free lifestyle, can help people lead happier, healthier and
longer lives." [Bettina Krause]

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Contact Information: 
Communications Department
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600

Phone: 301-680-6300
e-mail: info@gc.adventist.org
web: http://www.adventist.org/