ABSTRACT
Tree nuts, their oils, and byproducts (defatted meals and hulls) contain several bioactive and healthpromoting components. Epidemiological evidence indicates that the consumption of tree nuts may exert a number of cardioprotective effects which are speculated to arise from their lipid and nonlipid components, including unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and phenolic antioxidants1. Recent investigations have also shown that dietary consumption of tree nut oils may provide even more beneficial effects than consumption of whole tree nuts, possibly due to the replacement of dietary carbohydrate with unsaturated lipids and/or other components present in the oil extracts2. Tree nut byproducts are utilized as sources of dietary protein and as health-promoting phytochemicals such as natural antioxidants.
