A new study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has given us another solid reason to support one of our favorite snacks.
最近《美國心臟協(xié)會(huì)期刊》刊登了一項(xiàng)新研究成果，它為我們最愛的，某樣零食又提供了堅(jiān)實(shí)的理論依據(jù)。

The wholesome treat? Almonds.
這樣健康的食物是什么呢？那就是杏仁。

During the study two groups of participants who all had high LDL (bad cholesterol) levels each followed a healthy diet for 12 weeks. During the first six weeks, one group enjoyed a 1.5-ounce portion of almonds for a snack, while the other group ate a carbohydrate-rich muffin for a snack. Aside from the snack, the two groups had the same diet. The groups switched snacks for the second six weeks but again otherwise followed the same diet.
在這項(xiàng)研究中有兩組受試者，他們的低密度脂蛋白（一種有害的膽固醇）含量都很高，且每位受試者都要遵循為期十二周的健康飲食安排。在頭六周里，一組將分量為1.5盎司的杏仁作為零食，而另一組的零食則是碳水化合物含量充足的麥芬蛋糕。除零食上的差別外，兩組的飲食保持一致。在第二個(gè)六周，兩組的零食安排會(huì)互換，而其他飲食仍然相同。

Researchers found that when the two groups snacked on the almonds rather than the muffins, they reduced both their LDL and total cholesterol levels. Plus, eating the almonds raised their HDL (good cholesterol) levels, while eating the muffin decreased HDL levels.
研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)兩個(gè)小組的零食不是麥芬蛋糕而是杏仁時(shí)，他們的低密度脂蛋白和總膽固醇量都有所下降。此外，食用杏仁增加了他們的高密度脂蛋白（一種有益的膽固醇），而食用麥芬蛋糕卻會(huì)減少這種脂蛋白。

What’s more is that even though overall body weight did not change when participants were snacking on almonds versus muffins, their belly fat and waist circumference went down.
他們還發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)受試者零食吃的是杏仁時(shí)，雖然總體重沒有變化，但他們腹部的脂肪和腰圍卻都會(huì)減少。

And get this: both the muffin and the portion of almonds contained nearly the same number of calories (273 and 253, respectively) and both diets had the same overall number of calories. This evidence shows strong support for the argument that it’s the quality of calories that make for a healthy diet, not just quantity. The fact that almonds are rich in protein, fiber, and vitamin E —nutrients muffins score much lower in—most likely played a role in the results of this study. So next time you reach for a snack, think: nutrient-rich!
另外，同樣分量的麥芬蛋糕與杏仁所含的卡路里基本相同（它們分別含273和253卡路里）而且這項(xiàng)研究中兩組受試者的飲食安排在卡路里總量上保持一致。這強(qiáng)有力地證明了一個(gè)說法：決定飲食健康與否的并不是卡路里含量，而是所含卡路里的質(zhì)量。杏仁富含蛋白質(zhì)、纖維和維生素E，而麥芬蛋糕中的這些營養(yǎng)物質(zhì)含量遠(yuǎn)不及杏仁。正是這點(diǎn)極有可能使得實(shí)驗(yàn)有這樣的結(jié)果。因此下次你要吃零食時(shí)，想一想，要選營養(yǎng)豐富的哦！