Eating pecans daily lowers cholesterol and boosts heart health

A new study suggests that eating pecans can improve heart health. The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved 138 adults with heart disease risk factors. Participants were divided into two groups for 12 weeks. One group continued their usual snacking habits. The other group replaced their snacks with two ounces of pecans each day. By the end of the study, those who ate pecans showed better diet quality and lower cholesterol levels. Lead researcher Kristina Petersen noted that replacing snacks with pecans led to improvements in key heart disease risk factors. However, the study did not find significant changes in blood vessel health. Participants who ate pecans also gained about 1.5 pounds, likely due to the high calorie content of the nuts. Despite these drawbacks, pecans still increased the overall quality of the participants' diets by 17%. This supports the idea that pecans can be a healthy snack option. The study aligns with previous research linking pecans to better heart health, such as a 2021 study that showed cholesterol improvements among daily pecan eaters. Pecans are rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber, all of which promote heart health. This study gives pecans more recognition compared to other nuts like almonds and walnuts, which are often more researched.