Pecan-Enriched Diets Alter Cholesterol Profiles and Triglycerides in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease in a Randomized, Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND

Research indicates that tree nuts are cardioprotective, but studies on pecans are limited.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the impact of daily pecan consumption on blood lipids and glycemia in adults at-risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

This was a randomized, controlled trial where 56 adults (BMI ≥28 kg/m2 or hypercholesterolemia) were randomly allocated into a control group (n = 18) or 1 of 2 pecan groups. The ADD group (n = 16) consumed pecans (68 g) as part of a free-living diet. The SUB group (n = 18) substituted the pecans (68 g) for isocaloric foods from their diet. At baseline and 8 wk, a high-fat meal was consumed with 4-h postprandial blood draws to determine changes in blood lipids and glycemia.

RESULTS

There was a significant reduction from baseline to 8 wk in fasting total cholesterol (TC) (204 ± 8.76 to 195 ± 8.12; 205 ± 8.06 to 195 ± 6.94 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (143 ± 8.09 to 129 ± 7.71; 144 ± 6.60 to 135 ± 6.16 mg/dL), triglycerides (TGs) (139 ± 12.1 to 125 ± 14.6; 133 ± 10.7 to 120 ± 10.3 mg/dL), TC/HDL cholesterol ratio (3.92 ± 0.206 to 3.58 ± 0.175; 4.08 ± 0.167 to 3.79 ± 0.151), non-HDL cholesterol (151 ± 8.24 to 140 ± 7.95; 155 ± 6.87 to 143 ± 6.00 mg/dL), and apolipoprotein B (99.1 ± 5.96 to 93.0 ± 5.35; 104 ± 3.43 to 97.1 ± 3.11 mg/dL) in the ADD and SUB groups, respectively (P ≤ 0.05 for all), with no changes in control. There was a reduction in postprandial TGs (P ≤ 0.01) in ADD, and a reduction in postprandial glucose (P < 0.05) in SUB.

CONCLUSIONS

Pecan consumption improves fasting and postprandial blood lipids in CVD at-risk adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04376632.

© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.