There's good news for health nuts. The medical journal "Nutrition Research" reports that adding just a handful of pecans to your diet each day may be good for your heart.
Researchers at Loma Linda University found that eating about 20 pecan halves each day inhibits unwanted oxidation of blood lipids (fats), thus helping reduce the risk of heart disease. The researchers suggest that this positive effect was in part due to the pecan's significant content of vitamin E-an anti-oxidant that protects blood lipids.
Oxidation of lipids in the body -a process akin to rusting-is detrimental to health. When the "bad" (LDL) cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is more likely to build up and result in clogged arteries.
In the first phase of this research project, published earlier in "The Journal of Nutrition," researchers found that eating a handful of pecans each day dramatically lowered levels of LDL cholesterol-similar to the effects seen with cholesterol-lowering medications. |
