Postprandial effects of pecan nuts ingestion on plasma level of nutrients, polyphenolic compounds and biomarkers of antioxidant status in human volunteers

Postprandial effects of pecan nuts ingestion on plasma level of nutrients , polyphenolic compounds and biomarkers of antioxidant status in human volunteers

Pecans are rich sources of phytochemicals such as vitamin E , calcium magnesium , potassium , zinc and fiber (Morgan et al , 2000 , as well as antioxidants that can have a unique effect on the body (Yochum et al 2000 . Pecans are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids which plays several important roles in brain function . One of those roles may be to help prevent depression , which has a direct effect on brain

function and the ability to think clearly . Pecans contain different forms of vitamin E - known as tocopherol which protects fats from oxidation . Pecans are especially rich in one form of vitamin E - gamma tocopherol . An increased level of gamma tocopherol concentrations in the blood subsequently reduces a marker of lipid oxidation (Haddad , et al , 2006

Xianli Wu et al (2004 ) reported that pecans rank highest among all nuts and are among the top category of foods to contain the highest pecans had 5 ,095 TAC (Vegparadise News Bureau , 2004 , and a dietary fiber 9 .00 g /100 g (Feldman , 2002 . Plant sterols , widely researched and touted for their cholesterol-lowering ability are found naturally in pecans . They contain as much as 95 milligrams of plant sterols per 100 grams - 90 percent of which is in the form of beta-sitosterol Beta-sitosterol as a food component that competes with the absorption of cholesterol in the body , and thus has the ability to lower blood cholesterol levels . By increasing consumption of pecans (or peanuts , a person could easily raise the plant sterol levels in the diet to the point where health effects have been proven (Eitenmiller , 2000

Haddad , et al (2006 ) reported that the pecan-enriched diets significantly reduced lipid oxidation (by 7 .4 percent ) versus the Step I diet , and the blood levels of tocopherols were higher after participants were on the pecan diet . Cholesterol-adjusted plasma gamma-tocopherol in the study participants blood samples increased by 10 .1 percent (P .001 ) after eating the pecan diet . Another key research finding was beyond the reduced level of blood lipid oxidation , the various phytochemicals found in pecans seem to be protective of the pecan 's high levels of unsaturated fat . All unsaturated fats in foods can be prone to oxidation themselves (which some may describe in foods as rancidity Pecans , while high in unsaturated fat , are "self-protective " due to their vitamin E content (tocopherols ) and relatively high content of complex phytonutrients , some of which have been identified as proanthocyanidins , or condensed tannins , which are recognized for their ability to slow the oxidation process

Diets that are high in monounsaturated fat (MUFA ) have been associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease . According to this scientific statement from AHA 's Nutrition Committee , there is epidemiological evidence that dietary monounsaturated fats (MUFAs ) have a beneficial effect on the risk of (CHD . Kris-Etherton et al , 1999 from epidemiological studies concluded , there is consistent evidence that nuts have a...