An excess of cholesterol and triglycerides in the diet is closely associated with the possibility of incurring cardiovascular disease. Here is a medical test to gauge how likely we are to have heart problems in the next 10 years. Cholesterol is a molecule that can be taken with the diet but which is also produced by the body. Indeed, despite the bad publicity it has gained, cholesterol plays a vital role in our body’s metabolism and protects it even in ways that have only recently been discovered.
Modulating your cholesterol intake with your diet is the first step to avoiding serious health problems in the near future. There are numerous foods that can contribute to lowering cholesterol: cabbage, fish, fruit, legumes. In general, following the Mediterranean diet could be a good way to control the amount of lipids in the blood. Walnuts, peanuts, almonds and peanuts can also help lower cholesterol. For example, it’s amazing how much cholesterol can be lowered by eating this little-known nut variety.
So far, no studies have evaluated the effects of taking these nuts in the diet. A work presented only recently, gives useful information to be taken into account.
It’s amazing how much cholesterol could be lowered by eating this little-known variety of nuts
We are talking about pecans, the fruit of the pecan tree, native to the area between Mexico and the United States. These nuts are rich in minerals and vitamins, dietary fiber and protein. Their benefits have long been recognized.
As anticipated, in an article published a few days ago (Guarneiri LL et al, 2021), researchers tried to understand whether supplementing the diet with pecans could have benefits in patients at cardiovascular risk.
They found that eating 68g of pecans per day (about 470 calories) significantly reduced total fasting cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), and triglycerides. In particular, the average decrease in total cholesterol was about 5%; between 6% and 9% was the decrease in LDL-cholesterol.
These data are clinically significant, and these measures, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, can have a long-term impact on health. Pecans can be included in the diet by using them in the dough of biscuits or soft cakes, in pesto for an original recipe or in quiches. Before including them in our diet, however, it is always better to consult with our general practitioner.