Pecan nut snack compared with tortilla chips in overweight adults
What it found
In 20 adults with overweight or obesity, a mid-morning pecan snack caused a smaller rise in blood glucose and insulin than a tortilla chip snack.
Hunger, fullness and how much people ate at lunch were about the same after either snack.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood glucose
Blood glucose rose significantly more after the tortilla chip snack than after the pecan snack at all time points. After lunch, glucose responses did not differ between the two snacks.
Insulin
The tortilla chip snack caused a significant rise in insulin, while the pecan snack did not increase insulin. After lunch, insulin rose under both conditions with no significant difference.
Appetite and food intake
Ratings of hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective consumption did not differ between the pecan and tortilla chip snacks. Energy intake, weight of food and macronutrient composition at lunch also did not differ.
Satiety hormones
GLP-1 rose significantly more after the pecan snack than after the tortilla chips. PYY increased after lunch, and the rise was significantly greater in the pecan condition.
Fat markers in blood
Free fatty acids rose significantly after the pecan snack compared with tortilla chips. Triglycerides were higher in the pecan condition after lunch.
Energy expenditure
Resting energy expenditure rose by 7.4% after pecans and 10.9% after tortilla chips, but the difference was not significant.
What the authors conclude
“Pecan consumption improves postprandial glucose and insulin profiles which would be beneficial to individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that a single exposure to an isocaloric snack of either pecans or tortilla chips did not differentially affect subjective hunger, satiety, desire to eat, or prospective consumption.
- They state that the more favorable post-ingestive profile of glucose and insulin after consuming pecans suggests that they may be beneficial to individuals at risk of developing metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes.
- They call for further studies to explore whether increased PYY and GLP-1 after eating pecans versus tortilla chips may affect subjective appetite and energy intake over time.
How it was done
The authors say the effects of pecans compared with other popular snack foods on appetite and blood markers of metabolism and fullness have not been well studied. They wanted to compare a high-fat pecan snack with a typical high-carbohydrate savoury snack.
Twenty adults with overweight or obesity took part in a randomised crossover trial. On two separate visits, at least a week apart, they ate a standard breakfast, then a 250 kcal mid-morning snack of either pecans or tortilla chips, then a self-selected lunch. Blood samples, appetite ratings and energy expenditure were measured at intervals.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a single snack test, so it cannot show what happens with long-term pecan consumption.
- The study was mostly women, so it cannot show whether men respond differently.
- The trial cannot show whether the changes in blood markers would affect appetite or weight over time.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIDDK NIH HHS; NCATS NIH HHS; The American Pecan Council (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of this study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. The conduct of this study and the content of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors. This study was registered at ClinTrials.gov (accessed on 26 June 2021), trial NCT04484974.
- Authors work at
- Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, USA; University of Colorado Denver, USA; Medical University of South Carolina, USA
The paper
- Title
- A Randomized, Crossover Trial Assessing Appetite, Energy Metabolism, Blood Biomarkers, and Ad Libitum Food Intake Responses to a Mid-Morning Pecan Snack vs. an Equicaloric High-Carbohydrate Snack in Healthy Volunteers with Overweight/Obesity
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Peters JC, Breen JA, Pan Z, Nicklas J, Cornier MA (2024). A Randomized, Crossover Trial Assessing Appetite, Energy Metabolism, Blood Biomarkers, and Ad Libitum Food Intake Responses to a Mid-Morning Pecan Snack vs. an Equicaloric High-Carbohydrate Snack in Healthy Volunteers with Overweight/Obesity. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu16132084Free full textPubMed 38999832DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error