Scientific Study

Objectives: Tree nut intake benefits cardiometabolic health, but polyphenol-rich pecans have been less studied. The aim of this dissertation was to evaluate the cardiometabolic effects of consuming pecans in place of usual snacks compared to usual intake in adults at risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Methods: This was a 12-week parallel randomized controlled trial in which generally healthy adults with overweight or obesity and ≥1 feature of metabolic syndrome were instructed to 1) replace usual snacks with 57 g/day (2 oz) of raw, unsalted pecans or 2) continue consuming their usual diet. All vascular and cardiometabolic outcomes were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. The serums samples were collected at the beginning and after 12 weeks. To identify potential biomarkers beneficial for cardiovascular health, non-targeted LC-MS-based metabolomics were performed on serum from subjects in the pecan consumption group who exhibited the greatest reduction in LDL levels. LC-MS raw data were processed by MS Converter. After that, the data were aligned and annotated using MS-DIAL for metabolites identification. The data were analyzed for significance (p < 0.05) using Excel and GraphPad. Results: We identified four upregulated and fifteen downregulated metabolites before and after pecan consumption. We also identified five upregulated and twenty downregulated metabolites between pecan consumption compared with the control. The major metabolic pathways influenced by pecan consumption include short-chain fatty acid production, carnitine metabolism, and the generation of anti-inflammatory lipids species. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that pecan consumption enhances cardiometabolic health by modulating multiple metabolic pathways, and the resulting metabolic signature holds potential as a biomarker for further dietary intervention.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106439