~ HEALTH BENEFITS OF PECANS ~
Georgia pecans are
a perfect fit in a healthy lifestyle. Besides being
one of the most elegant, versatile and rich-tasting
nuts, pecans provide health benefits that are hard to
beat. The Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture say that eating four to five servings
of nuts each week (including pecans) will bring you
one step closer to staying in line with current healthy
eating recommendations.
* A one-ounce serving
of pecans contains 196 calories, 2.7 grams dietary fiber
and over 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamin
A, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and zinc.
* Pecans are also
a good source of oleic acid, vitamin B1, thiamin, magnesium
and protein.
Antioxidants
A laboratory analysis
and comparison of the antioxidant power of 100 foods
completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found
that pecans ranked among the top 20 foods for antioxidant
capacity. The study also found that pecans have the
highest amount of antioxidants of the nuts tested, including
almonds or walnuts. The antioxidant compounds found
naturally in pecans, including vitamin E, ellagic acid
and flavonoids, are believed to help prevent disease-causing
oxidation in cells. Such oxidative damage has been linked
to developing a wide variety of diseases including heart
disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Blood Pressure
While eating pecans
and other nuts can’t cure high blood pressure, they
are an important part of the DASH (Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension) eating plan, developed by the
National Institutes of Health. The DASH diet also falls
right in line with U.S. Dietary Guidelines for healthy
eating issued by the Department of Health and Human
Services and the Department of Agriculture. Research
has shown that following the DASH diet is an effective
way to lower blood pressure, while supercharging your
diet with much needed nutrients. One part of the DASH
dietary prescription? Eating four to five servings (1
1/2 ounces per serving) of pecans a week.
Breast Cancer
Pecans are a rich
source of oleic acid, the same type of fatty acid found
in olive oil. Researchers from Northwestern University
in Chicago recently found in laboratory tests that oleic
acid has the ability to suppress the activity of a gene
in cells thought to trigger breast cancer. While this
area of study is still in it's early stages, researchers
say it could eventually translate into a recommendation
to eat more foods rich in oleic acid, like pecans and
olive oil. A one-ounce serving of pecans provides about
25 percent more oleic acid than a one-tablespoon serving
of olive oil.
Heart Health
Researchers from Loma
Linda University in California and New Mexico State
University, have confirmed that when pecans are part
of the daily diet, levels of “bad” cholesterol in the
blood drop. Pecans get their cholesterol-lowering ability
from both the type of fat they contain and the presence
of beta-sitosterol, a natural cholesterol-lowering compound.
Eating 1 1/2 ounces of pecans a day (27 to 30 pecan
halves), when its part of a heart-healthy diet, can
reduce the risk of heart disease.
* According to the
Iowa Women’s Health Study in 1993, women were 60 percent
less likely to have heart trouble if they ate nuts more
than twice a week.
* The 1992 Loma Linda
University study found that people who ate nuts at least
5 times a week had about half the rate of heart disease
as people who never ate nuts.
* In a study published
in the March 2000 edition of the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association, subjects who ate just ¾ cup a
day of pecans saw their LDL levels drop by 10 percent
in just six weeks.
Prostate Health
The same natural compound
that gives pecans its cholesterol-lowering power has
also been shown to be effective in treating the symptoms
of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous
enlargement of the prostate gland in men. About two
ounces of pecans provides a dose of beta-sitosterol
found to be effective. In addition, a laboratory study
from Purdue University found that gamma-tocopherol,
the type of vitamin E found in pecans, has the ability
to kill prostate cancer cells while leaving healthy
cells alone.
* According to Frank
Sacks of Harvard Medical School, pecans contain phytochemicals
which make them protective against cancers of the colon,
stomach and rectum.
Weight Control
Contrary to the widely
held, but mistaken, belief that “nuts are fattening,”
several population studies found that as nut consumption
increased, body fat actually decreased. And clinical
studies have confirmed this conclusion, finding that
eating nuts actually resulted in lower weights. One
study from the Harvard School of Public Health discovered
that people following a weight-loss diet that contained
35 percent of calories from fat, including pecans as
a fat source, were able to keep weight off longer than
people following a traditionally recommended lower fat
diet. With their super nutrition profile and low-carb
content, pecans also make a perfect choice for people
following low-carb weight-loss plans.
* Nuts are a part
of most universally accepted balanced diets, such as
the "Mediterranean Diet," which includes fish,
poultry, vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, grains,
olives and olive oil.
Many thanks to the
Georgia Pecan Commission for their information!
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