Inland study shows pecans in diet cut 'bad' cholesterol

MEDICINE: Loma Linda researchers say eating the nuts can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

09/07/2001

By MIKE SCHWARTZ THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

LOMA LINDA - A daily helping of pecans added to an American Heart Association-recommended diet significantly reduces cholesterol levels and the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a Loma Linda University study released this week.

Loma Linda researchers found that the nuts reduced both total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein -- or "bad" -- cholesterol more than twice as much as the heart association's standard Step I diet.

The scientists compare this cholesterol-lowering effect to the benefits of prescription medications that lower levels of lipids, or fats, in the blood.

What's more, eating pecans helped subjects maintain desirable levels of high-density lipoprotein -- "good" -- cholesterol -- according to the study, which was released Wednesday.

By contrast, the standard Step I diet, considered a first-line therapy for those with high cholesterol and at risk for coronary heart disease, may lower levels of "good" cholesterol, an undesired effect. Its other big disadvantage: It can raise levels of triglycerides -- blood fats that also contribute to heart disease.

"This isn't a problem for everyone on the AHA diet, but it's commonly found," said co-investigator Sujatha Rajaram, assistant professor of nutrition at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

The goal of Loma Linda scientists was to find an alternative whole-food diet that could modify blood-lipid profiles more effectively and thus reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, Rajaram said Thursday. .

They focused on pecans because many studies at Loma Linda and other major centers over the past decade have shown the life-extending benefits of nuts.

"Pecans are high in monounsaturated or 'good' fats in terms of what they do to blood lipids," she said. "The best way to show if nuts are helpful or not is by comparing them to the already accepted AHA diet."

Published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the study is the first controlled "crossover" metabolic feeding trial ever conducted with pecans, Rajaram said.

Twenty-three male and female volunteers with normal cholesterol and an average age of 38 first ate a typical American diet for two weeks. They then were randomly assigned to two nutrition groups: the standard Step I diet and the pecan-enriched AHA diet. After four weeks on these diets, the groups "crossed over" -- switched diets for the next four weeks.

The study required all subjects to eat most of their meals in a laboratory kitchen. Tight monitoring allowed scientists to eliminate variables (such as going off the diet) that might skew results.

Standard portion sizes on the Step I menu were reduced by one-fifth to accommodate the pecans, which comprised 20 percent of daily calories. Subjects were put on daily diets of 1,800 to 3,600 calories, depending on their energy needs.

Those on a 2,400-calorie diet ate about 2.5 ounces of pecans daily -- served plain, as toppings or in cereal, pasta, salads, gravies and shakes.

Each participant's cholesterol level was measured at the end of each diet period. Researchers found that the pecan-enriched diet lowered total cholesterol levels by 11.3 percent from baseline values compared with 5.2 percent for the original Step I diet. The pecan-containing diet also lowered "bad" cholesterol by 16.5 percent compared with 6.7 percent for the Step I regimen alone.

The National Cholesterol Education Program has established that for every 1 percent reduction in "bad" cholesterol, the incidence of coronary heart disease drops by 1.5 percent.

Based on this estimate, the cholesterol-lowering effects of the pecan diet correspond with a 25 percent decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease, Rajaram said.

The researchers also observed that the high-carbohydrate, low-fat Step I diet lowered "good" cholesterol, while pecans in the diet raised it by 5.6 percent.

Rajaram said many consumers find low-fat, heart-healthy diets hard to adhere to because they restrict many of their favorite foods.

"In our study we added something that people like," she said. "No one got bored, and some even requested extra pecans."

Mike Schwartz can be reached by e-mail at mschwartz@pe.com or by phone at (909) 782-7524.

A Pecan Primer

• Nearly 90 percent of the oils in pecans are of the heart-healthy unsaturated kind.

• Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals. One serving of pecans has as much fiber as a medium-size apple.

• Pecans are naturally cholesterol- and sodium-free.

• The U.S. produces 80 percent of the world's crop.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

Answers

Several months ago I looked into the options of improving good fats to bad fats in my diet. I don't recall the details, but I settled on almonds being somewhat better than pecans. Then I broke a tooth, and now I'm waiting to have a crown installed. Maybe I should have chosen pecans instead?

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001

They're supposed to be shelled first. (Snort!)

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2001