The Ability of Pecan Consumption to Improve Vascular Function and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk in Aging Adults

The Ability of Pecan Consumption to Improve Vascular Function and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk in Aging Adults

Background: To date, there are no published studies on the effects of pecans on vascular function following a high-fat meal.

Purpose: To examine the impact of daily pecan consumption for a 4-week period on vascular health and other markers of cardiovascular disease risk in aging adults.

This will be a randomized, controlled trial in men and postmenopausal women (50-75y). Subjects will be randomized into one of the two study groups: a control group (CON) following their usual diet, or intervention group (PECAN) following their usual diet but also consuming 68g/day of pecans as a snack.

There will be 3 visits: A Screening visit and a baseline and post-diet intervention visit (4-weeks). Anthropometrics, questionnaires, a fasting blood sample, and fasting vascular measures will be collected at each visit. Subjects will participate in a saturated fatty acid meal challenge in which additional blood, vascular measurements will be collected.

Hypothesis: Daily pecan consumption will result in improved fasting blood lipids, vascular measures, antioxidant status, and appetite compared to the control group. Additionally, also the PECAN group will result in improved postprandial blood lipids and vascular measures compared to the control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and postmenopausal women (without menses for 1 yr and follicle stimulating hormone > 30 IU/mL) between the ages of 50-75y
• Body mass indexes (BMI) between 18-34.9kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nut consumption >2 servings/week or tree nut butter consumption >3 servings/week
• Pre-menopausal and menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy if less than 2 years
• Regularly exercise more than 3 h/week
• Weight gain or loss more than 5% of their body weight in the past 3 months
• Plans to begin a weight loss/exercise regimen during the trial
• Gastrointestinal surgeries, conditions or disorders
• History of medical or surgical events that could affect swallowing
• Chronic or metabolic diseases
• Previous MI, stroke, or cancer
• Fasting blood glucose levels greater than 126 mg/dL
• Blood pressure greater than 180/120 mmHg
• Medication use affecting digestion and absorption, metabolism
• Lipid-lowering medications
• Medications for diabetes, depression, or ADD/ADHD
• Regular use of medications known to affect endothelial function or blood vessel tone
• Blood pressure medication and steroid/hormone therapies
• Individuals on a medically prescribed or special diet
• Individuals with food allergies to foods specifically in the study
• Excessively use alcohol (greater than 3 drinks/d for men; greater than 2 drinks/d for women)
• Tobacco or nicotine use
• Individuals taking fish oil and omega-3 fatty acid supplements
• Significant head trauma or brain surgery
• A score >26 on the Beck's Depression Inventory II (BDI-II)
• A score <24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) will be excluded.