Sunflower Seeds, Pistachios Bursting with Phytosterols

Sunflower Seeds, Pistachios Bursting with Phytosterols

WASHINGTON-- Sunflower seeds and pistachios have the highest phytosterol content of a variety of nuts commonly found in snack foods, according to a study in the American Chemical Society (ACS) publication Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (53, 24:9436-45, 2005) (http://pubs.acs.org/journals/jafcau).

Chemists at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., analyzed 27 nut and seed products commonly consumed as snack foods in the United States and discovered pistachios and sunflower kernels had the highest levels of phytosterols among those nuts tested. According to ACS, Sesame seed and wheat germ actually ranked higher than sunflower seeds and pistachios, but are not consumed as frequently as individual foods, and Brazil nuts and walnuts ranked lowest in phytosterol content.