Researchers have conducted a study to see if eating pecans had an impact on cardiovascular disease and diabetes biomarkers. This study was funded by National Pecan Shellers Association and findings are published in journal Nutrition.
Researchers conducted a placebo-controlled crossover trial of 26 subjects. All subjects were provided with meals to carefully control their food intake. For 4 weeks one group had a diet with 15% of daily calorie intake provided with pecans. Both the control diet and the pecan-rich diet were low in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Calorie levels, as well as protein, carbohydrate, and total fat, were kept the same. Results of the study showed improvements in serum insulin, insulin resistance, pancreatic beta cell function and cardiovascular disease biomarkers.
“Pecans are naturally high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, so replacing a portion of the saturated fat in the diet with these healthier fats can explain some of the cardioprotective effects we observed,” said lead researcher, Diane McKay, Ph.D. “But pecans also contain a number of bioactive plant compounds as well as vitamins and essential minerals that all likely contributed to this benefit. What’s really interesting is that just one small change – eating a handful of pecans daily – may have a large impact on the health of these at-risk adults.”
Reference: Mckay, Diane, Misha Eliasziw, C. Chen, and Jeffrey Blumberg. “A Pecan-Rich Diet Improves Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrients 10, no. 3 (2018): 339. doi:10.3390/nu10030339.
Research funding: National Pecan Shellers Association
Adapted from press release by Kellen Communications.