Pecans and Walnuts Help Lower Cholesterol
| May/June 2003
Two studies show substituting pecans or walnuts for other fats in your diet can help lower cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease. Researchers at Loma Linda University eliminated variables by conducting a controlled crossover metabolic feeding study of 23 men and women. They compared the subjects’ cholesterol levels while on the step I diet of the American Heart Association (AHA) with their cholesterol levels when 20 percent of their calories were replaced with pecans. The study showed the pecan-containing diet lowered “bad” cholesterol more than twice as much as the AHA step I diet. Adding pecans to the diet also added a bonus of increasing “good” cholesterol. Researchers said pecans’ cholesterol-lowering effect “is similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications.” Another study done in Spain included 55 men and women with high cholesterol levels. Half the participants ate a cholesterol-lowering Mediterranean diet, while the other half ate a diet containing similar amounts of calories and fat but with walnuts making up 35 percent of the fat content. After six weeks, the study participants switched to the other type of diet for another six weeks. Researchers measured cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study, at six weeks and at twelve weeks. The results showed cholesterol levels decreased about 5 percent after six weeks on the Mediterranean diet alone and an additional five percent after six weeks on the walnut-containing diet. At Romolo Chocolates, we think our walnuts and pecans are the freshest you’ll find. Of course, they come coated in milk or dark chocolate! |
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