Pecan-enriched diet shown to reduce cholesterol
People at risk for cardiovascular disease showed improvements

Date:
August 23, 2021
Source:
University of Georgia
Summary:
Researchers show that pecans can dramatically improve a person's
cholesterol levels.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== While the proper pronunciation of pecan remains a subject of debate,
University of Georgia researchers have shown the tree nut can dramatically improve a person's cholesterol levels.


========================================================================== Participants at risk for cardiovascular disease who ate pecans during
an eight- week intervention showed significant improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, in a study conducted by researchers in the UGA College of
Family and Consumer Sciences.

"This dietary intervention, when put in the context of different
intervention studies, was extremely successful," said Jamie Cooper,
a professor in the FACS department of nutritional sciences and one of
the study's authors. "We had some people who actually went from having
high cholesterol at the start of the study to no longer being in that
category after the intervention." Researchers saw an average drop of 5%
in total cholesterol and between 6% and 9% in LDL among participants
who consumed pecans.

For context, researchers referred to a previous meta-analysis of 51
exercise interventions designed to lower cholesterol that reported an
average reduction of 1% in total cholesterol and 5% in LDL cholesterol.

"The addition of pecans to the diet not only produced a greater and more consistent reduction in total cholesterol and LDL compared to many other lifestyle interventions, but may also be a more sustainable approach
for long- term health," Cooper said. "Some research shows that even a 1% reduction in LDL is associated with a small reduction of coronary artery disease risk, so these reductions are definitely clinically meaningful." Researchers assigned 52 adults between the ages of 30 and 75 who were
at higher risk for cardiovascular disease to one of three groups.



==========================================================================
One group consumed 68 grams or about 470 calories of pecans a day as part
of their regular diet; a second group substituted pecans for a similar
amount of calories from their habitual diet, and a control group did
not consume pecans.

At eight weeks, participants consumed a high-fat meal to determine
changes in blood lipids and the amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.

Fasted blood lipids showed similar improvements among the two pecan groups while post-meal triglycerides were reduced in the group that added pecans.

Post-meal glucose was lowered in the group that substituted pecans.

"Whether people added them or substituted other foods in the diet for
them, we still saw improvements and pretty similar responses in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in particular," said Cooper, who also
serves as director of the UGA Obesity Initiative.

Researchers pointed to the known bioactive properties of pecans for
possible mechanisms driving the improvements.

Pecans are high in healthy fatty acids and fiber, both of which have
been linked to lower cholesterol.

Liana Guarneiri, a doctoral student in the FACS department of nutritional sciences, is first author. Chad Paton, associate professor in FACS who
has a joint appointment with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, also is an author.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Georgia. Original
written by Cal Powell.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Liana L Guarneiri, Chad M Paton, Jamie A Cooper. Pecan-Enriched
Diets
Alter Cholesterol Profiles and Triglycerides in Adults at Risk
for Cardiovascular Disease in a Randomized, Controlled Trial. The
Journal of Nutrition, 2021; DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab248 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823125651.htm

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