Pecans improve nutrition and lower cholesterol levels

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. One of the key risk factors is nutrition – and unfortunately, it is far from ideal in this country. Snacks loaded with sugar and saturated fats are particularly harmful. At the same time, foods rich in nutrients can significantly improve the condition of the body.

Against this background, scientists have attracted the interest of pecans – nuts known not only for their flavor, but also for their high content of polyphenols, including flavan-3-ols. Previously, it was found that such compounds can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and even mortality from them.

The goal of the project was to find out what would happen if you replaced your usual snacks with a serving of raw, unsalted pecans – about 57 grams a day – for 12 weeks. The study included men and women between the ages of 25 and 70 who were overweight or showing signs of metabolic syndrome.

The organizers divided the participants into two groups: one continued their usual diet, while the other received pecans instead of the usual snacks. Volunteers recorded daily how many nuts they ate, what foods they consumed, and how they felt against the background of the new scheme.

Before the main tests, all participants gave up alcohol and over-the-counter medications for two days. They were examined for blood pressure, vascular stiffness, sugar levels, insulin levels and inflammatory markers. Nutrition was assessed by questionnaires and Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2020) scores.

Interestingly, initial values for vascular function were normal in both groups. This is probably why there were no noticeable changes in vascular health – especially since the amount of flavan-3-ols obtained with the nuts was lower than in previous successful experiments.

In blood chemistry, however, the changes were more noticeable. Those who ate pecans had lower total cholesterol, lower levels of “bad” LDL-cholesterol, and lower triglycerides. This is especially important, as these are the indicators that are often the precursors to heart attacks and other heart problems.

The increase in diet quality was also interesting. Over 12 weeks, the healthy eating index of the group with pecans increased by almost 10 points. At the same time, those who continued the usual diet and avoided nuts, nutrition on the contrary worsened – perhaps because of the restrictions imposed for the duration of the experiment.

It is worth noting that with all the positive changes in the blood, on average, the body weight in the group with pecans slightly increased – by 700 grams. Most likely, the participants didn’t completely replace the snacks, but simply added nuts to their diet, increasing their total calories.

Regardless, a reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels of even 6% is considered clinically significant. Such an effect could have a real impact on reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events, especially in people with a predisposition.