The Health Benefits of Peanuts: Are They Really Nuts or Legumes?

2023-09-01 13:13:03
Peanuts are technically legumes. But they have a nutritional profile similar to nuts / File

Nuts are an important part of a diet that takes care of cardiovascular health. For this reason, the American Heart Association has recommended the consumption of regarding five servings of unsalted nuts per week. Each serving is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of nuts.

Peanuts are technically legumes, but they are lumped together in the nut category because they have a similar nutritional profile. They’re a convenient source of protein and come with the added bonus of healthy nutrients like antioxidants, iron, magnesium, and fiber.

Peanuts are often considered to be less healthy than tree nuts like almonds, but that’s not necessarily true, according to Vasanti Malik, a research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health. “Peanuts are actually very healthy,” he added.

And it is worth noting that these recommendations are always for unsalted peanuts.

Peanuts contain mainly mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, and are high in protein and fiber. They contain anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Peanut consumption helps reduce altered cholesterol levels (Andrea Warnecke/dpa)

There are different studies that highlight the benefits of peanuts. One of them was published in the magazine Clinical Nutrition. He revealed that daily intake of nut products might have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and stress response in healthy young individuals.

The work was directed by Rosa Lamuela, director of INSA-UB and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona, ​​and member of the Center for Biomedical Research Network of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN ).

The peanut is a leguminous plant native to South America that was introduced to Europe in the 18th century. It produces a fruit of great nutritional interest, which has a high content of fatty acids, proteins, fibers, polyphenols and other bio-components of potential interest for health.

The work was carried out with a group of 63 healthy people between the ages of eighteen and thirty-three who included a regular serving of peanut or groundnut products in their daily intake.

One study suggested that daily intake of peanut products in improving cognitive performance (Getty)

“Most nutritional intervention studies have been carried out in a population with obesity, metabolic syndrome or risk of suffering from chronic diseases”, explained Professor Lamuela. “In this risk population profile, it is easier to see a beneficial effect if we change the eating pattern or introduce a healthy food into the usual diet,” she stated.

The study observed “the beneficial effect of daily ingestion of peanut products on improving cognitive performance and stress response in a healthy young population, which is a group where it is more difficult to observe any health effects.” ”, specified the researcher.

The team examined the potential health effects of peanut consumption using an extensive battery of cognitive tests and various analytical tests related to biochemical indicators of the stress response (for example, cortisol).

The results also showed that an increase in short-chain fatty acids -originated by the activity of the microbiota, in addition to specific biomarkers of this nut, very long-chain saturated fatty acids and certain polyphenols, all of them bioactive compounds related to numerous healthy benefits.

Peanuts contain resveratrol and p-coumaric acid, among others, which are beneficial to health/File

Constituents in peanuts that may contribute to the health effects are some bioactive compounds such as resveratrol and p-coumaric acid, as well as peanut-specific short-chain and long-chain saturated fatty acids.

Another work on peanuts and its benefits was done in Japan. They ate an average of 4-5 peanuts a day and had a lower risk of stroke or cardiovascular disease than non-consumers, according to a new study published in Strokethe magazine of the American Heart Association.

Another study in Japan found that people who ate an average of 4-5 peanuts a day had a lower risk of suffering a stroke or ischemic stroke / File

The researchers specifically evaluated the relationship between peanut consumption and the incidence of different types of stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) and cardiovascular disease events (such as stroke and ischemic heart disease) among Japanese men and women.

“We have demonstrated for the first time a reduced risk of ischemic stroke incidence associated with increased peanut consumption in an Asian population,” said study lead author Dr. Satoyo Ikehara, an associate professor of public health in the department of social medicine. from Osaka University School of Medicine in Suita, Japan.

“Our results suggest that adding peanuts to the diet has a beneficial effect in the prevention of ischemic stroke,” he emphasized.

Eating 4-5 shelled peanuts a day was associated with a 16% lower risk of any stroke/File

Compared with a peanut-free diet, the researchers found that eating regarding 4-5 shelled peanuts per day was associated with a 20% lower risk of ischemic stroke, a 16% lower risk of any stroke; and a 13% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (both stroke and ischemic heart disease).

“The beneficial effect of peanut consumption on the risk of stroke, especially ischemic stroke, was found despite the small amount of peanuts consumed by study participants,” Ikehara said.

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