Q: I read that there were some new findings about the naturally healthful components in pecans. What's the latest?
A: Yes, more good news for Georgia Pecan lovers. Researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, recently discovered that adding just a handful of pecans to your diet every day may help reduce damage that occurs to fats that circulate in the blood. Once these fats are damaged by a process known as oxidation, the steps leading to clogged arteries are set into motion.
They believe that the vitamin E and naturally occurring plant compounds (phytonutrients) found in pecans are responsible for reducing oxidation and helping to reduce the risk of heart disease. The study looked at 23 men and women between the ages of 25 and 55 while feeding them one of two diets: one group was fed the standard American Heart Association Step I diet; the other was given a similar diet in which 20 percent of calories were replaced with pecans. They ate the diets for four weeks, then switched to the other diet for another four weeks. Blood samples were taken at the end of each 4-week diet period.
The researchers found that when people were on the pecan-enriched diets, oxidation of fats in the blood dropped by more than 7 percent and their blood levels of beneficial vitamin E increased by 10 percent.
The findings add even more proof that nuts, including Georgia pecans, can help reduce the risk of disease.
