| PECANS could reduce the risk of heart disease by protecting the body
PECANS could reduce the risk of heart disease by protecting the body from unhealthy chemical reactions in the blood, finds a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Research. The authors suggest that the positive effects of pecans are due to their high levels of vitamin E, which can protect fats in the blood from oxidation – a process similar to rusting. When some blood fats become oxidised they can build up in the arteries and lead to heart disease. Scientists analysed blood samples from 23 men and women between the ages of 25 and 55. Participants were randomly assigned to eat either the American Heart Association's recommended diet (pecan-free), or the same diet with 20 per cent of the calories provided by pecans. After four weeks on one diet, they then switched to the other diet. The pecan-enriched diet increased blood levels of vitamin E by 10 per cent and reduced the oxidation of fats in the blood by 7.4 per cent compared to the pecan-free diet.
Nutrition Res 2006; Nutrition Research 2006;26:397-402 (Haddad E, et al)
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