It has been a banner year so far for nutrition research at Almond Board of California (ABC), with a full pipeline of research and several requests for proposals (RFPs) just completed or in the works. The Nutrition Research Committee held a strategic planning meeting in November, and identified several new areas of research that will help us better understand almond composition and health benefits relevant to critical areas of public health.
In addition, the committee has prioritized the funding of research internationally, partnering with universities in Korea, Taiwan, India, Australia and several countries in Europe. This is important, as it will provide needed insights into almond health benefits within specific populations, and allow ABC to provide more relevant health information to food and health professionals and consumers in those areas of the world.
As a step in the direction of this priority, a request for proposals was recently sent out to Indian researchers in the area of glucose regulation. India is a strong market for ABC, and given its status as the ‘Diabetes Capital of the World,’ can benefit immensely from the glucose regulation–related health benefits of almonds. The search for a highly qualified research group is currently in progress.
Currently, the research pipeline has projects underway or nearing publication in the areas of almond bioactive composition, heart health, weight management and satiety, diabetes, cognition and gut health. RFPs are underway or have recently been completed for studies looking at cardiometabolic health (blood glucose management) and almonds’ effects on microbiome/gut health.
