Chomping on nuts leads to higher levels of good cholesterol (Hdl, high-density lipoprotein) and lower levels of C-reactive protein, which can trigger chronic diseases including heart disease, said a new study. “One of the more interesting findings was the fact that tree nut consumers had lower body weight, as well as lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers,” said Carol O’Neil, professor at Louisiana State University Agricultural Centre, who led the study.
The study looked at 13,292 men and women (over 19 years) participating in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported.
***
‘Egyptians bred cats to offer as sacrifices’
Egyptians may have been breeding cats specifically to mummify and offer as sacrifices to god more than two thousand years ago, a new research has found.
Italian researchers arrived at the conclusion after they examined a mummified kitten which was believed to have been bought by the National Archaeological Museum in Parma as part of an Egyptian collection in the 18th century.
The team did a radiography — similar to an X-ray — of the mummy, to see under the wrappings, finding the small cat was actually a kitten, only about 5 or 6 months old. The way it was positioned while being mummified suggest that the kitten was sacrificed to used an offering to god, the researchers said. “The fact that the cat was young suggests that it was one of those bred specifically for mummification,” study author Giacomo Gnudi said. — PTI