Heart disease refers to a range of conditions that affect the blood vessels and muscles of the heart. Heart disease includes conditions such as high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, and dramatically increases a person's risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers from Loma Linda University (LLU) have found that by adding just a few pecans to their daily diet, adults may be able to reduce the risk of heart disease.

The research showed that pecans appear to be capable of reducing the oxidation of fats in the blood. Previous research has shown that the oxidation of fats (lipids) in the bloodstream is detrimental to a person's health and can result in atherosclerosis.

For the study, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 23 men and women between the ages of 25 and 55. The participants were separated into two groups that ate similar meals for four weeks. The only difference in diet was that one group replaced 20 percent of their calories with pecans, while the other group did not eat pecans. After four weeks on the diets, the two groups switched.

The research showed that the group that ate pecans had lipid oxidation levels that were 7.4 percent lower than the group that ate no pecans. Blood levels of tocopherols (a form of vitamin E known to protect fats from oxidation) were also found to be higher in the group that ate pecans.

"We concluded that even though the pecan diet was high in unsaturated fats, which one may think would increase blood oxidation that did not happen. We found the opposite result: the pecan diet showed reduced oxidation of blood lipids," explained researcher Ella Haddad, associate professor at LLU, in a recent press release.

The results of the report were published in the most recent issue of the journal Nutrition Research and had previously been published in The Journal of Nutrition.

Copyright 2000-2006 HealthCentersOnline Inc.