"A new study published in Nutrients shows that eating just . ounces of pecans  one small handful  every day may protect adults at risk for developing cardiovascular disease CVD and type  diabetes TD. Conducted by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University this study found that incorporating pecans into a typical American diet significantly improved insulin sensitivity and had a significant effect on markers of cardiometabolic disease in otherwise healthy overweight and obese adults with excess belly fat. While a growing body of evidence has linked tree nuts such as pecans to reduced risk of CVD this is the first study to look at the effects of pecan consumption on factors other than blood lipid levels and specifically those related to TD. Obesity is a risk factor for TD and both obesity and TD increase CVD risk.  Pecans are naturally high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats so replacing a portion of the saturated fat in the diet with these healthier fats can explain some of the cardioprotective effects we observed said lead researcher Diane McKay Ph.D. But pecans also contain a number of bioactive plant compounds as well as vitamins and essential minerals that all likely contributed to this benefit. Whats really interesting is that just one small change  eating a handful of pecans daily  may have a large impact on the health of these atrisk adults.  In this placebocontrolled crossover study of  men and women average age  years all meals were provided to carefully control their food intake. For four weeks at a time subjects ate either a control diet with no nuts or the same diet with pecans substituted for  percent of the total calories. Both the control diet and the pecanrich diet were low in fruits vegetables and fiber. Calorie levels as well as protein carbohydrate and total fat were kept the same.  The study entitled A PecanRich Diet Improves Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults A Randomized Controlled Trial is available online http and will be presented at the American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference Nutrition  held in Boston this June. The study was funded by the National Pecan Shellers Association. Contact Diane Jackson Communications Manager National Pecan Shellers Association djacksonkellencompany.com mailtodjacksonkellencompany.com or ..  http"