Increased cholestetin … A problem is particularly strong in our time, both because of the stressful daily life and because of the foods we consume.

But there are foods that help reduce cholesterol. There are. According to a study by the Department of Nutrition Sciences of Penn State, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adults with or at risk for metabolic syndrome, they were accidentally divided into one of the two groups.

One team replaced its usual pecan snacks, while the other continued its normal diet. Those who ate pecans showed improvements in several cholesterol -related cholesterol indicators, compared to those who did not follow this diet.

What do scientists say about the benefits of pecans

“Replacement of typical pecan snacks improved key risk factors for heart disease, including blood cholesterol levels and nutrition quality,” said Kristina Petersen, Associate Professor of Nutrition Sciences in Penn State and author.

“These results are added to the large basis of evidence that supports the cardiovascular benefits of nuts and add additional knowledge of how adults can incorporate nuts into their diet to improve the overall quality of their diet,” he added.

More specifically, the study included 138 adults with one or more metabolic syndrome criteria, including:

-The abdominal obesity,
-The high triglycerides,
-the low HDL cholesterol,
-the high blood pressure and
-The high fasting blood glucose
-The participants were 25 to 70 years of age and were randomly divided into two equal groups:

-the group ate pecans for snacks and were asked to consume 56 grams of pecans a day instead of snacks usually consumed,
-And the other group was following a normal diet and were asked to continue their normal diet.

Vascular health data and blood tests were collected at the start and completion of the 12 -week study and the participants were collected nine times during the study.

In the study, those who consumed pecans showed reductions:

-in total cholesterol,
-The low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol),
-The non -high density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol) and
-The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL and triglycerides cholesterol compared to those who did not consume pecans.

LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the arteries and increase the risk of stroke or heart attack. HDL carries cholesterol back to the liver to remove the body.

Thus, both LDL reduction and a decrease in total cholesterol to HDL can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Triglycerides are essential lipid for energy storage and metabolism, but high levels of triglyceride also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The current study did not find differences in the results of vascular health between the two groups, but the researchers said people should consider eating more foods with polyphenols such as:

pecan,
fruit,
vegetables and
wholemeal cereals
to support heart health and improve the overall quality of nutrition.