Pecan Nuts Health Benefits
Pecan nuts have the potential to add some vital nutrients to your diet which could provide you with health benefits. This is backed by nutritional research monitoring individuals who regularly eat pecan nuts. The pecan nut is becoming increasingly more valuable worldwide because of possible health promoting benefits.
There is an association between elevated pecan nut intake and health benefits such as healthy weight management or reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a prevalent issue worldwide and healthy weight loss is a trending topic. If you are looking to reduce your weight naturally then a physical intervention via your diet is certainly something to look at.
Healthy natural foods such as pecan nuts to support improved overall diet and replace highly processed foods are being recommended as a means to assist healthy weight control.
Pecan nuts are tree nuts known for an abundance of bioactive compounds. Pecan nuts are rich in essential nutrients such as magnesium or zinc that support our wellness on a day to day basis. They are also thought to provide a healthy source of lipids that may assist with reducing obesity or helping to manage weight. As with many plant based foods pecan nuts also contain phenolics such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate that may also provide health benefits to support our wellness.
Research suggests that inflammation supressing compounds within pecan nuts could have a role in counteracting the inflammatory nature of the average western diet. Pecan nuts could therefore assist with preventing the worsening of metabolic disorders or inflammatory conditions.
In this article the potential health benefits of eating pecan nuts regularly will be considered with particular attention to the nutritional basis of pecan nuts.
How Eating Pecan Nuts Could Provide Health Benefits
Pecan nuts are a nutrient dense source of various minerals and building blocks that could provide us with potential health benefits in support of our overall wellness. Here the top nutrients you can find in pecan nuts are listed. These nutrient values are listed as a weight of nutrient per 100 grams of pecan nuts. This gives you an idea of the nutrient density of this food.
Manganese
Pecan nuts provide 2.28mg of manganese per 100 grams. This more than covers the suggested RDA of 2.3mg.
Manganese is an essential nutrient that supports our metabolic health. This mineral supports the optimal functioning of various enzymes and is a key factor in growth regulation. Manganese has a direct influence on healthy levels of blood glucose. Manganese supports optimal hormone levels and can promote bone formation.
The core health promoting role of this nutrient is in reducing metabolic stress. Manganese supports the production of superoxide dismutase. This antioxidant enzyme reduces risk of free radical damage and therefore risk of cancer.Research also supports the use of manganese for improving athletic performance.
Through eating pecan nuts regularly you could obtain potential health benefits that are associated with manganese sufficiency.
Magnesium
You can obtain 103mg of magnesium per 100 grams of pecan nuts. The total recommended daily intake for magnesium is 420mg. Pecan nuts therefore add significantly to the total magnesium RDA.
Magnesium is very important for supporting muscle functioning. This electrolyte is required for optimal muscle relaxation. This mineral is also needed for healthy DNA and energy production. Magnesium also has a function in regulating the production of nerve transmitters.
Additional health benefits of eating pecan nuts may therefore include the support of healthy muscle functioning via improved magnesium intake.
Copper
You could absorb 0.906mg of copper per 100 grams of pecan nuts. This fulfils the recommended copper RDA of 0.9mg and copper is one of the most nutrient dense minerals in the pecan nut.
The most essential role of copper in the body is in the formation of red blood cells. Red blood cells assist with the carrying of oxygen. Copper therefore reduces the risk of anaemia and excessive tiredness. Copper is also required to support the production of key energy producing enzymes. Nerve cells use copper to maintain their myelin coating to improve the speed of nerve signalling.
Regularly eating pecan nuts can therefore provide health benefits such as the reduction of fatigue via the support of more optimal copper intake.
Phosphorus
Pecan nuts offer 253mg of phosphorus per 100 grams. Phosphorus is an important rate limiting nutrient. A healthy intake of pecan nuts supports the suggested 1,250mg RDA of phosphorus.
Phosphorus is required for most lifeforms on Earth as an essential part of DNA. This mineral support optimal bone health in addition to calcium and helps the body to make strong bones.
Higher bone density contributes to improved gym resultsand phosphorus has a positive relationship with our immunity too.
Regularly eating pecan nuts may therefore support bone health and our immunity.
Potassium
In 100 grams of pecan nuts you can obtain 360mg of potassium. The suggested intake of potassium per day is around 4,700mg. Regularly eating pecan nuts therefore would contribute to your potassium intake.
Potassium is anย electrolyte which is needed in large amounts within the body. This mineral supports healthy muscular movements and nerve transmissions in a similar means to magnesium. Potassium can affect blood pressure and therefore reduces the risks of strokes. Some clinicians recommend pecan nuts for patients with high blood pressure because of the high potassium content.
Eating pecan nuts regularly can therefore support reduced risk of strokes and improved cardiovascular system functioning.
Zinc
There is 3.93mg of zinc per 100 grams of pecan nuts. Pecan nuts therefore support your 11mg RDA of zinc. This mineral is required in high amounts throughout the body. As an antioxidant mineral zinc supports the cleansing of dangerous radical molecules and also improves resistance to infections.
Deficiencies in zinc are linked to reduced testosterone levels. Zinc therefore could influence muscle formation and fertility. Zinc has additional neuroprotective properties which could help to prevent dementia.
Eating pecan nuts regularly can therefore support immune system functioning and fertility via zinc intake.
Thiamin
Within 100 grams of pecan nuts there is thought to be 0.548mg of thiamin. This provides nearly half of the suggested RDA for thiamin.
Thiamin is an energy supporting vitamin. This vitamin supports important reactions in the energy production cycle and therefore could reduce levels of physical fatigue in the correct amount.
An addition to the potential health benefits of pecan nuts could therefore be the support of healthy energy levels.
Arginine
The amino acid arginine is found in high quantities within pecan nuts. Pecan nuts contain 1.36g of arginine per 100 grams.
Arginine is a semi essential amino acid that plays an important role in our overall metabolism. This amino acid naturally stimulates protein synthesis and cell growth. Research has shown that arginine could promote sperm production and wound healing. Deficiency in arginine reduced sperm counts by around 90% after 9 days.
This amino acid also supports nitric oxide production and is important for natural blood vessel dilation under stress. Arginine may also encourage small blood vessel growth with muscle growth.
Pecan nuts could therefore promote healthy wound healing and blood vessel health as a source of arginine.
Glutamic Acid
One of the highest quantity amino acids by weight in pecan nuts is glutamic acid. There is 2.5g of glutamic acid per 100 grams of pecan nuts. Glutamic acid may assist brain functioning. This is because it is an important brain neurotransmitter. Glutamic acid may help signals to be sent across the brain. Pecan nuts could support healthy nerve signalling through an increased glutamic acid intake.
Leucine
There is thought to be about 0.67g of leucine per 100 grams of pecan nuts. Leucine is an important amino acid. This amino acid is a branched chain amino acid which is able to encourage muscle growth through stimulating natural protein synthesis within the body.
Leucine may also strengthen the blood brain barrier. This barrier is very important for preventing harmful toxins or drugs from entering the brain.
The regular consumption of pecan nuts could support a healthy intake of leucine and may therefore encourage recovery of muscle or brain health.
Dietary Fibre
There is considered to be around 5.8g of dietary fibre per 100 grams of pecan nuts. There is not really an RDA for dietary fibre but healthy amounts of dietary fibre are required to support gut health.
Dietary fibre is essentially beta glucose chains or complex carbohydrates such as cellulose which you find in plants. Humans cannot really digest beta glucose but our gut microbes can. Dietary fibre can be considered to be prebiotic. This is because they stimulate the growth of gut microbes.
Prebiotic dietary fibres support our health promoting gut bacteria and an improved relationship with them. A lack of dietary fibre can cause gut dysbiosis or an imbalance of beneficial to harmful gut microbes in the gut. This can be a cause of systemic inflammation which has the potential to influence our health.
Pathogenic gut microbes could make inflammatory skin conditions such as such as eczema or acne worse. This is through skin sebum production. The improved growth of beneficial gut bacteria can improve immune responses and lower inflammation in the gut. Some gut microbes are also thought to be able to support brain health.
Pecan nuts may therefore have health benefits for our skin and brain health.
Tocopherols Or Vitamin E
Pecan nuts contain high amounts of tocopherols or vitamin E. Pecan nuts contain large amounts of gamma tocopherol vitamin E form at about 16,800mg per 100 grams. Alpha tocopherol is the most potent vitamin E form.
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that has strong activity in the outer skin layers. This vitamin operates in cell membranes as a protective antioxidant for cell membrane fatty acids and lipids. Vitamin E essentially helps the body to prevent lipid oxidation and for this reason is preventative of skin cancer events from excessive exposure to the sun. Vitamin E could also help to protect the skin from inflammatory diseases.
Regularly eating pecan nuts could therefore improve antioxidant status via increased vitamin E levels and could have various benefits for preserving skin health.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Tree nuts such as pecan nuts are an abundant source of unsaturated fatty acids that the body needs on a day to day basis. There is thought to be around 22.9g of polyunsaturated fatty acids per 100 grams of pecan nuts. This is a very substantial amount of fatty acids and pecan nuts are among the richest in unsaturated fatty acids of many popular nut foods.
The unsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid and oleic acid are thought to form a large part of the total unsaturated fatty acid content of pecan nuts. Both of these fatty acids are associated with lowered risk of type 2 diabetes in uncooked foods such as pecan nuts.
Oleic acid makes up about 50% to 80% of the fatty acid content in pecan nuts. This fatty acid is associated with improvements in cardiovascular health in a natural and stable uncooked form.
Studies have shown that pecan nut consumption improves levels of blood lipids in individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease and could improve vascular function too. There are also phytosterols and phytostanols within pecan nuts which may also support heart health.
Pecan nuts may have health benefits to support our overall wellbeing as a source of fatty acids that are required throughout the body.
Pecan Nut Phenolics
Polyphenols present within pecan nuts are of interest because of possible health benefits. The presence of free radicals within the body leads to the generation of blood vessel plaques because of oxidation of LDL within the blood. This inflammatory process can accelerate and cause cardiovascular disease.
Natural polyphenols within pecan nuts could assist with preventing the risks of cardiovascular disease via antioxidant activity. Natural antioxidant polyphenols are able to cleanse the blood of harmful high energy molecules. Another addition to the health benefits of eating pecan nuts may be a reduction in risk of inflammation within the blood vessels and cardiovascular disease.
Various studies indicate a reduced risk of cardiometabolic disease and insulin resistance with pecan nut consumption. This may be due to pecan nut antioxidants and inflammation reduction.
The antioxidant capacity of pecan nut extracts is one of the highest among popular nuts. This is also comparable to broccoli and tomatoes. Much of this may be due to pecan nut polyphenols. These could lower lipid oxidation and enhance body antioxidant levels. One clinical study showed that postmeal oxidative stress was reduced with a pecan nut rich diet.
One potent polyphenol which is found within pecan nuts is epigallocatechin-3-gallate. This pecan nut polyphenol has researched health benefits in reducing risks of cardiovascular disease, supporting brain health, reducing obesity and risk of cancer.
Research has found that aggregated oxidised proteins, lipids and metals are inhibited when polyphenolic epigallocatechin-3-gallate is introduced. These are markers of cellular aging. Some polyphenols are also able to support the optimal functioning of the immune system and help the body to resist viral infection.
Pecan nuts demonstrate benefits in promoting overall wellbeing through natural antioxidants that can cleanse the body of oxidative stress and minerals that support metabolic functioning.
Summary
Pecan nuts are a food that may have various health benefits within our diet. They could replace processed foods as a means of reducing obesity and have a high nutrient content or nutrient density.
Pecan nuts provide the body with a source of manganese. This mineral supports healthy blood glucose levels and also supports the reduction of oxidative stress via superoxide dismutase.
Pecan nuts are also a source of magnesium. Magnesium supports energy production and neuromuscular functioning. The regular consumption of pecan nuts supports healthy potassium levels. This is another electrolyte that may have health benefits for the cardiovascular system through reduced blood pressure and risk of stroke.
Pecan nuts may also reduce fatigue as source of copper and thiamin. Amino acids found in pecan nuts such as arginine and leucine may support healthy protein synthesis. Pecan nuts contain high amounts of dietary fibre and could support more optimal gut health. Gut microbes can influence systemic inflammation and skin conditions.
Pecan nuts could reduce fatty acid oxidative stress as a source of vitamin E. Pecan nuts are a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid and oleic acid are associated with improved vascular health and reductions in risk of diabetes.
Pecan nut specific phenolics may be able to reduce the formation of inflammatory plaques in blood vessels and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Pecan nuts have a comparable antioxidant capacity to broccoli and tomatoes. This may be because of pecan nut specific polyphenols.
Pecan nuts demonstrate benefits in promoting overall wellbeing through natural antioxidants that can cleanse the body of oxidative stress and minerals that support metabolic functioning.
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