Eating more peanuts can improve heart health

Contrary to popular belief, elephants do not eat peanuts. According to the Ringling Brothers, they are too small for their trunks to grasp. That’s unfortunate for them because recent studies suggest that eating this legume may lower the risk for cardiovascular disease and death.

Technically, a peanut is a legume that grows underground in pods, compared to tree nuts such as walnuts and almonds that grow on trees. Peanuts, along with beans and peas, belong to the single plant family Leguminosae. Legumes are edible seeds enclosed in pods or shells. As a group, they provide the best source of concentrated protein in the plant kingdom.

While peanuts’ physical structure and nutritional benefits more closely resemble that of other legumes, their use in diets and cuisines more closely resembles that of nuts.

A study recently published in the The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that consuming peanuts daily can reduce death attributed to heart disease by 29 percent, and semiweekly consumption can contribute to a 24 percent decrease.

Peanuts can help lower bad LDL cholesterol and maintain good HDL cholesterol. Components such as protein, healthy oils and fiber can be attributed to these impressive results. Another recent study discovered that consuming peanuts could help to decrease blood pressure.

Peanuts have almost no sodium naturally, and when salted, most commercially available varieties contain less than 140 mg. When evaluated by the American Heart Association, this amount is considered heart-healthy.

Recently, Walter C Willett, a member of the Harvard Heart Letter’s editorial board answered the question “Is peanut butter healthy?” as part of the newsletter’s “Ask the Doctor” feature. His answer was yes, because the presence of saturated fat doesn’t automatically disqualify a food as unhealthy. Wheat germ and olive oil have some saturated fat, and they are considered to be healthy foods.

He goes on to say that it is the entire package of nutrients that determines if a particular food is good for a person’s health, not one or two. Peanuts are a good source of fiber, Vitamin E, niacin and magnesium, and they contain potassium and bioactives such as resveratrol and phytosterols, all of which may benefit heart health. In moderation, consuming some saturated fat is acceptable.

Consumption of peanuts and tree nuts has been linked to lower mortality rates, mainly by researchers using subjects of European descent and high socioeconomic level. A new report published in JAMA Internal Medicine discusses the results of a study using black and white Americans, mainly of lower socioeconomic status, and men and women living in Shanghai. The subjects consumed mainly peanuts but some tree nuts. The researchers employed well-validated food frequency questionnaires to gather 12 years’ worth of information.

The results revealed that when compared to the mortality rate of the one-fifth of the subjects that ate the fewest nuts, the highest-consuming one-fifth displayed a 21 percent lower risk of death in the American population and a 17 percent lower risk in the Shanghai one. The researchers concluded by saying that the evidence is quite strong that peanuts are beneficial to heart health. Consumption of nuts, particularly peanuts, given their general affordability, may be considered a cost-effective measure to improve cardiovascular health.

So, how can we increase our daily intake of America’s most popular and affordable “nut?” In salads and trail mix, peanuts add crunch and protein. Peanut butter, spread on your morning bagel in place of butter or in the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, can also give you nutritional benefits. Even grabbing a handful of peanuts on the go can help your mood and your heart.