What happens to your cholesterol when you eat pecans every day?

Considering a healthy snack between meals? A handful of pacan can be an intelligent choice. A recent study has revealed that the consumption of pacan improves both the quality of the food and the cholesterol levels.

What does the study found?

The study, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutritionincluded 138 adults aged 25 to 70. Participants had or at risk of metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

These conditions include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides and weak HDL cholesterol (“good”).

Participants were divided into two groups: one ate about two ounces of raw and not salted pacan per day, while the other continued with their usual snacks. All participants have undergone medical tests, including cholesterol and blood pressure controls, before and after the study.

At the end of the test, blood tests showed that those who ate pacans had a lower cholesterol level and a better quality of global diet compared to the control group.

Can Pacans really reduce cholesterol?

The results suggest that the advantages were not only to eat nuts in general, but specifically of the pacans.

“Pacans have a unique polyphenol content compared to some of the other trees, which has interested us,” said Kristina Petersen, PHD, co-author of the study and associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.

Polyphenols in pacans can support healthy blood vessels. People who have eaten pacan daily in the study consumed more fibers and polyunsaturated fats, which has probably contributed to improvements in LDL cholesterol.

Previous research supports these results. A 2018 study in Nutrients have found that the replacement of certain saturated fats in an American diet typical by a handful of pacan daily has helped protect people at risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.(The two studies were funded by groups in the Pécan industry.)

Should you eat pacans every day?

Poor food plays a major role in cardiometabolic diseases, the main cause of death in the United States, said Theresa Gentile, MS, RDN, CDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Nuts, including Pacans, are part of a healthy and healthy diet and can improve risk factors for these diseases,” said Gentile.

However, Gentile stressed that the Pacans should not replace cholesterol medication. “Lifestyle changes can help improve cholesterol levels and improve the functioning of drugs, but food does not have the same effect as drugs,” she said.

While statins can reduce LDL cholesterol by 20% to 60%, the new study revealed that the Pacans reduced total cholesterol by 3.6% and LDL by 6%.