Scientists from Brazil and elsewhere found that eating pecan nuts in a healthy diet may benefit people with heart disease.
Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease in the United States. It is sometimes called coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease.
For some people, the first sign of coronary artery disease is a heart attack. You and your healthcare team may be able to help reduce your risk for coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart (called coronary arteries) and other parts of the body.
Being overweight, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and smoking tobacco are risk factors for coronary artery disease.
A family history of heart disease also increases your risk for coronary artery disease, especially a family history of having heart disease at an early age (50 or younger).
The influence of healthy foods on blood sugar and body fat is still unclear in people with coronary artery disease.
In the current study, researchers aimed to examine the effect of a healthy diet supplemented with pecan nuts or extra-virgin olive oil on blood sugar and body fat in people with coronary artery disease.
The study lasted 12 weeks, and the team tested 204 people. These people were allocated to three interventions: a healthy diet, a healthy diet plus 30 g/day of pecan nuts, or a healthy diet plus 30 mL/day of extra-virgin olive oil.
The researchers found that there were no differences in both blood sugar and body fat according to groups at the end of the study.
But the pecan nut diet improved the quality of the diet in comparison to other groups.
Based on the findings, the team suggests that there is no difference regarding blood sugar and body fat according to interventions in people with coronary artery disease.
However, adding pecan nuts to a healthy diet may improve its quality.
The team suggests that further studies should examine dietary interventions for the secondary prevention of heart disease.
The research was published in The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and conducted by Júlia L Dos Santos et al.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and calcium supplements could harm your heart health.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how espresso coffee affects your cholesterol level, and results showing Vitamin C linked to a lower risk of heart failure.
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