You suffering from cholesterol !!!

 If you want to steer clear of the devastating side effects of statin drugs and still get your cholesterol numbers looking good, eating almonds may be just the right choice. Studies

have shown that eating a nutritious diet that includes almonds sends LDL numbers plummeting. And there's more. Eating almonds provides super strength protection against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and even weight gain and obesity.

 In a four week study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 46 healthy human subjects were divided into three groups. The control group ate a low saturated fat diet based on milled whole-wheat cereals and low-fat dairy foods. The second group ate the same diet and also took the statin drug lovastatin. The third group ate a diet high in almonds plus plant sterols, non-meat protein and fiber. LDL cholesterol decreased by 8 percent in the control group, 30 percent in the statin group, and 28 percent in the almond group.

   Another study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that heart disease risk correlates not only with cholesterol levels, but also with inflammation of blood vessels. Following a diet that includes almonds effectively lowers not only LDL cholesterol levels but also C-reactive protein levels, a key marker of inflammation. Inflammation is hard on the heart because it increases the development of atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and causes the heart to have to pump faster and harder to get its job done.

   In this study, 34 people followed a dietary plan, called the Portfolio Eating Plan, which included almonds. In this group, C-reactive protein levels fell 24 percent from baseline, an amount similar to the reduction achieved by taking a statin drug, only without the life draining side effects of taking the drug.

   Another study examining this same group and reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when directly compared to first-generation statin drugs, the Portfolio Eating Plan diet with its emphasis on almonds is just as effective in lowering LDL cholesterol below the recommended range for heart disease prevention.

   Five large human epidemiological studies, including the Nurses Health Study, all found that nut consumption is linked to lower risk for heart disease. Researchers studying data from the Nurses study found that substituting nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet resulted in a 30 percent reduction in heart disease risk. They found a 45 percent reduction when fat from nuts was substituted for saturated fats.