Elevated levels of cholesterol may pose a risk to the health of people, especially in terms of blood pressure and the increased chances of experiencing a cardiovascular problem .
In this sense, the most common treatment indicated by medical specialists to reduce blood cholesterol levels is based on following a specific diet with foods that help to achieve this objective. Although, the intake of certain medications, such as Atorvastatin, is also normal.
In this sense, researchers from the University of Georgia, United States in, have been able to verify how a diet rich in Pecans help to considerably reduce blood cholesterol levels and even improve the situation of cardiovascular patients.
Diet rich in pecans
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, had a large number of participants who were at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Pecans
In this sense, these participants who ate pecans for eight weeks offered improvements in total cholesterol levels, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol.
Thus, Jaime Cooper, a professor in the science department Nutrition Facts from the FACS and one of the main authors of this study explains that this dietary intervention, when put in the context of different intervention studies, was extremely successful.
We had some people who actually went from having high cholesterol at the beginning of the study to no longer in that category after the intervention, he adds.
Specifically, the study observed a mean decrease in cholesterol. 5% in total cholesterol and a 6% to 9% reduction in LDL cholesterol among participants who took pecans.
How they lower cholesterol
To deepen the benefits of pecans in the diet for cholesterol, Dr. Cooper explains that the addition of pecans to the diet not only produced a greater and more consistent reduction in the total and LDL cholesterol compared to many other lifestyle interventions, it may also be a more sustainable approach to health long-term.
And it is that different investigations ensure that even a reduction in LDL cholesterol is related to a small decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease. Thus, the decrease offered by the consumption of pecans is widely considered significant.
Thus, Dr. Cooper clarifies that whether people added them or replaced them with other foods in the diet , we continue to observe quite similar improvements and responses in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in particular.
Finally, the researchers responsible for this study focused on the already known bioactive properties of walnuts pecans as possible improvement mechanisms.
This is mainly due to the high content of healthy fatty acids and fiber, properties associated with a significant reduction in cholesterol. Therefore, according to this study, following a diet rich in these types of nuts contributes to lowering blood cholesterol levels.