Study Finds Pecans May Lower Cholesterol

ATLANTA – Two nutrition researchers have found that eating as few as 3/4 cup (68 grams) of pecans a day, either from out of hand or in a recipe, may significantly reduce so called "bad" LDL cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.

This finding is the result of an eight-week study published in the March 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study was conducted by Dr. Wanda Morgan, associate professor of human nutrition and food science at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces, and Beverly Clayshulte, a former NMSU graduate research assistant and nutritionist.

This is the first nutritional study dedicated solely to pecans, and the researchers were impressed with the results. According to Morgan and Clayshulte, their study differed from other tree nut studies in that participants were allowed to choose what they ate, instead of following a restricted, laboratory-type diet.

"We wanted to mimic as much as possible what people really consumed in their daily meals to see if we could still get some of the benefits that were showing up in other nut studies," says Morgan. "This is a substantial reduction in cholesterol."

Nineteen participants with normal cholesterol levels were selected from the New Mexico area. Nine were randomly assigned to the control group. They followed their typical diet and ate no pecans or other tree nuts for the duration of the study. Ten participants were randomly assigned to the pecan group and instructed to eat 68 grams (3/4 cup) of pecans a day, either out of hand or added to their favorite recipes.

After four weeks, pecan consumption had lowered LDL cholesterol by 10 percent in the pecan group; total cholesterol had lowered, too. Monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and insoluble fiber levels had also increased.

According to Morgan, some nutritional counselors have recommended the avoidance of tree nuts because of the fat content. Given the results of the present pecan study and other scientific investigations, tree nuts may have beneficial effects and contribute important nutrients.

The pecan study was supported by funding from the New Mexico State University Agricultural Experiment Station in Las Cruces, N.M., and a grant from the Western Pecan Growers Association. For decades, Georgia has been the leader in U.S. pecan production, and 1999 was no exception. The fall 1999 harvest has yielded a crop of more than 90 million pounds of pecans.