Impact of Cashew Nuts in the Human Diet: Measured Energy Value and Effects on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Inclusion Criteria: * BMI between 20 and 38 kg/m2 * Fasting glucose ≤ 126 mg/dL * Blood pressure ≤ 160/100 mm Hg Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of kidney disease, liver disease, gout, hyperthyroidism, untreated or unstable hypothyroidism, certain cancers, gastrointestinal disease, pancreatic disease, other metabolic diseases, or malabsorption syndromes * Use of cholesterol lowering medication * Use of medication to treat hypertension for less than 6 months * Active cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack or procedure within the past six months or participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program within the last six months, stroke, or history/treatment for transient ischemic attacks in the past six months, or documented history of pulmonary embolus in the past six months) * Women who have given birth during the previous 12 months * Pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant or become pregnant during the study * Lactating women * Type 2 diabetes * Use of prescription or over-the-counter antiobesity medications or supplements (e.g., phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, caffeine, during and for at least 6 months prior to the start of the study) or history of a surgical intervention for obesity * Smokers or other tobacco users (during 6 months prior to the start of the study) * History of eating disorders or other dietary patterns which are not consistent with the dietary intervention (e.g., vegetarians, very low fat diets, high protein diets) * Known (self-reported) allergy or adverse reaction to cashew nuts or other nuts * Unable or unwilling to give informed consent or communicate with study staff * Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse within the past 12 months and/or current acute treatment or rehabilitation program for these problems (long-term participation in Alcoholics Anonymous is not an exclusion) * Other medical, psychiatric, or behavioral factors that in the judgment of the Principal Investigator may interfere with study participation or the ability to follow the intervention protocol