There Is Nuttin' Like A Macadamia
Newcastle Herald
Thursday May 20, 1999
DR Manohar Garg is going nuts.
More accurately, he's going macadamia nuts and reckons everyone should follow suit.
He has won a $126,000 grant to investigate the health benefits of the native fruit.
Dr Garg, who heads the nutrition section of Newcastle University's medical department, and Professor Ron Wills, of the university's food school, will do two years research.
The project needs 60 volunteers from 18 to 45 to eat nuts and have their blood tested.
It will be the most extensive study done on macadamia nuts.
Dr Garg said macadamias were understood to be a rich source of monounsaturted fats that lowered people's cholesterol levels.
They were high in anti-oxidants that helped reduce wear and tear on respiratory systems and aided in the prevention of heart disease and cancer.
`We'll be looking to see if they reduce illness and improve people's quality of life, Dr Garg said.
Macadamias are native to Queensland and NSW.
They were discovered in the 1850s by Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, the founder of Brisbane's Botanic Gardens.
The nuts were shipped to Hawaii, where the trees were initially used for windbreaks.
They have been farmed commercially there since the 1940s.
Australian farmers realised their potential in the 1960s, when they began establishing an industry in this country.
Macadamias, a creamy delicacy, are high in vegetable protein.
Australian farmers and the Federal Government are jointly funding Dr Garg's research.
© 1999 Newcastle Herald