Pecan nuts can lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Many foods in the US contain high amounts of saturated fat. Saturated fat is “bad for you” fat that can cause a buildup in the arteries and lead to heart problems.
Pecans have a reputation as a legume that is versatile, delicious and nutritious. Raw pecans contain about 20 grams of total fat, and about 18 of those 20 grams are heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The University of Georgia was curious about the effect that the high levels of unsaturated fats in pecans would have on people with high cholesterol. They conducted a study of about 44 people, all between the ages of 50 and 70, some of whom were instructed to eat about 2.5 servings of pecans daily for a month. They were given a meal high in saturated fat at the start of the study and the same meal at the end to measure the effect of the pecans on their cholesterol levels.
The university compared the group that ate pecans to the group that did not, and the results show that the group that consumed their daily pecans had significantly lower cholesterol levels than those who did not eat pecans for a month. Those who ate pecans had lower total cholesterol, LDL and HDL levels. Lower cholesterol levels mean that the group that consumed pecans daily reduced their oxidative stress levels, as well as the risk of developing clogged arteries and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Jamie Cooper, PhD and lead researcher at the University of Georgia, said: “This study reinforces the importance of including healthy foods, such as pecans, in the diet. Although the intervention was relatively short, the improvements in multiple markers of chronic disease risk are clinically relevant for older adults.”
Furthermore, participants were weighed at the beginning and end of the study and the results were surprising. Although the pecan group consumed an additional 470 calories per day, they experienced no increase in body fat or overall body weight.
“Maintaining the weight and body fat of the participants is of great practical importance. What we see is that in practice, eating pecans can help displace the consumption of other calories and have a satiating effect for weight maintenance,” says Cooper. “Although this study is not mechanistic in design, we speculate that the fatty acid composition of pecans, as well as their antioxidant capacity, may have contributed to the attenuating effects on saturated fats and other improvements observed.”