Dive Brief:
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A small peer-reviewed study suggests eating a handful of pecans a day could reduce cardiometabolic risk in overweight and obese adults, according to a news release from the American Pecan Council.
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The study, published in the journal Nutrients, looked at blood biomarkers associated with heart disease and Type 2 diabetes in 26 overweight and obese participants over the age of 45. It found that including a handful of pecans ground into foods reduced these biomarkers, while a diet providing the same amount of calories and macronutrients without pecans had no effect. The researchers concluded that displacing saturated fat in the American diet could make a difference to health.
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The team found a small but statistically significant improvement in insulin resistance, serum insulin and pancreatic beta cell function, but stressed that larger and longer studies were necessary. The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Pecan Shellers Association, and was carried out by researchers at Tufts University.
Dive Insight:
Tree nuts are nutrient dense and a good source of healthy fats, making them a tasty, nutritious ingredient in bars and cereals, as well as in gluten-free products as a grain alternative and in dairy-free plant-based milks. In recent years, they have benefited from millennials’ desire for healthier snack foods too, with nearly nine in ten (89%) saying they had consumed at least one better-for-you snack in the past week, according to a recent survey.
In 2016, nuts also received a boost when the Food and Drug Administration updated its definition of “healthy” to include high-fat products like nuts and avocados. When it comes to specific nuts, pecans perhaps have been missing out on some of the good publicity that other tree nuts have enjoyed, and this latest study is just the most recent to back nuts’ health benefits.
A qualified health claim linking tree nut consumption with reduced heart disease risk was one of the first to be approved by the FDA back in 2003, and last year macadamia nuts were added to the list of specific nuts that manufacturers can mention on product labels for their heart health benefits. Other nuts that qualify for the claim include walnuts, almonds and pistachios. As consumers continue to seek out nuts as a healthy snack, food manufacturers would be savvy to invest in product formulas that showcase popular tree nuts and clearly display their health benefits.