PMID: J Hum Nutr Diet. 2021 Nov 28. Epub 2021 Nov 28. PMID: 34841598 Abstract Title: Pecan-enriched diets increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation in adults at-risk for cardiovascular disease in a randomised, controlled trial. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Research indicates that diets enriched with unsaturated fatty acids improve energy metabolism, although studies on tree nuts, which are a rich source of those fats, are limited. The present study aimed to examine the impact of daily pecan consumption for 8 weeks on energy metabolism in adults with hypercholesterolaemia or at higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (body mass index ≥ 28 kg m).METHODS: For this randomised, controlled trial, 56 sedentary adults were randomised into one of three treatments for an 8-week intervention: two pecan groups and a nut-free control group (n = 18). The ADD group (n = 16) consumed pecans as part of a free-living diet, whereas the SUB group (n = 18) substituted the pecans for isocaloric foods from their habitual diet. At baseline and 8 weeks, a high saturated fat meal was consumed along with indirect calorimetry measurementsat fasting and for 4 h postprandially to determine changes in resting metabolic rate (RMR), diet induced thermogenesis (DIT) and substrate utilisation (primary outcomes). Forty-seven participants completed the trial and were included in analyses.RESULTS: In the SUB group, there was an increase in fasting RMR (1607 ± 117 to 1701 ± 114 kcal day; p = 0.01) and fasting fat oxidation (0.83 ± 0.08 to 0.99 ± 0.08 g/15 min; p = 0.009) and a decrease in fasting respiratory exchange ratio (0.85 ± 0.01 to 0.83 ± 0.01; p = 0.05) from pre- to post-intervention. In the ADD group, there was an increase in postprandialDIT (p
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