forFood ThoughTfor

?Did you know

Reduced Risk of Death

Frequent peanut consumption does not cause weight gain. Eating peanuts daily is associated with a smaller waist, less weight gain, and decreased risk of obesity.7

Frequency of Nut Consumption

%

Bao, N Engl J Med, 2013

www.peanut-institute.org© 2014 The Peanut Institute

Volume 18 Issue 3

Peanuts have long been studied for their benefits for heart health, diabetes and weight management.1-6 New research from Harvard shows that eating peanuts daily can lead to a longer life. This study

showed that men and women who ate an ounce of peanuts everyday re-duced their risk of death from all causes by up to 20%.7 Researchers also noted than peanut eaters were leaner and had a reduced risk of obesity.

This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the larg-est to date to look at death from all causes in nut eaters. The study tracked nearly 119,000 men and women from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study over a 30-year period.

They found that the more frequently peanuts and nuts were consumed, the lower the risk of death. Compared to non-nut eaters, those who consumed peanuts and nuts occasionally reduced risk of death by 7%, weekly eaters reduced risk by 11%, eat-ing peanuts two to four times a week cut risk by 13%, and eating peanuts and nuts seven or more times a week cut risk by about 20%.7

When researchers looked at death rates based on peanuts, they found that eating peanuts just twice a week reduced death from any cause by 12%. When they looked at death by specific cause, they found that eating peanuts daily reduced risk of death due to heart disease by 24%, respiratory disease by 16%, infections by 32%, and kidney disease by 48%.7

When researchers looked at peanuts alone and compared them to a mixture of tree nuts, they found the results were about the same.

Current USDA data shows peanuts are the most popular nut in the U.S. and repre-sent half of all nuts consumed.8 During the years observed in the study for all nuts combined, USDA data shows peanuts and peanut butter represented 69% of the total nut intake, making peanuts a strong driver for the results.

Previous research from Harvard School of Public Health showed that a 1-ounce serving of peanuts or a half serving (one tablespoon) of peanut butter eaten five or more times a week, can decrease the risk of diabetes by 27% and 21% respective-ly.9 Additional work by Harvard showed that a handful of peanuts eaten five or more times per week can cut the risk of heart disease in half.10

This study explains, “Nutrients in nuts, such as unsaturated fatty acids, high-quality protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals may confer cardioprotective, anticarcinogenic, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant properties.”

Eat peanuts everyday for a longer life

“We don’t see any difference in the benefits between peanuts and tree nuts,” said Dr. Charles Fuchs, Harvard Medical School.

www.peanut-institute.org© 2014 The Peanut Institute www.peanut-institute.org

Did you know that peanuts are among the list of foods ap-proved by the American Heart

Association® to carry the Heart-Check logo? Both raw and roasted—salted or unsalted—peanuts meet the American Heart Association® Heart-Check criteria. To get the Heart-Check, nuts must have less than 4 grams of saturated fat, no trans fat, no cholesterol, less than 140mg of sodium, and 10% or more Daily Value of at least one beneficial nutrient like fiber or protein.12

Research shows that eating nuts daily can reduce risk of death from heart disease by 29%, and even eating peanuts just twice a week can reduce risk by 24%.7

Peanuts help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and decreasing bad LDL cholesterol while maintaining good HDL cholesterol.14

A new study from Purdue University showed that eating peanuts regularly helps decrease blood pressure. Amongst participants with high blood pressure, the changes were greatest over the first two weeks, and were sustained through-out the duration of the study.15

Research shows similar findings for those with elevated cholesterol levels. A study from The Pennsylvania State University found that nuts reduce the risk of heart disease in individuals with high

cholesterol.16 Researchers attribute the health benefits of daily peanut consump-tion to their dense nutrient content. Peanuts contain healthy fats, plant-based protein, and fiber, all of which contribute to reducing cholesterol.17

Peanuts are part of a heart-healthy diet as they are naturally low in sodium and contain heart-healthy nutrients.11 When salt is added to peanuts, it stays on the surface so less is needed. One ounce of oil-roasted salted peanuts typically con-tains 91mg of sodium, which is less than half of the amount in one ounce of cheese puffs and less than a third of the amount in one ounce of salted pretzels.11

fromPeanuts get the stamp of approval the American heart Association®

Sodium in Snack Foods

Pretzels contain more than three times as much salt as oil-roasted salted peanuts.11

Sodi

um (m

g)

(1 oz) (1 oz)

(1 oz)

“Regardless of flavoring, peanut consumption offered significant benefits to participants with elevated serum lipids and blood pressure,” says Dr. Richard Mattes, Professor of Nutrition Science at Purdue University.

www.peanut-institute.org www.peanut-institute.org© 2014 The Peanut Institute

Flavored and unflavored peanuts reduce blood pressure in two weeks

A new study released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that different flavors of peanuts—salted, spicy, honey-roasted, or unsalted—result in positive

health benefits. The study, “A Randomized Trial on the Effects of Flavorings on the Health Benefits of Daily Peanut Consumption,” was conducted at Purdue University and included over 150 men and women who incorporated peanuts into their daily diet for 12 weeks.

Participants were randomly assigned three 0.5-ounce portions of three peanut flavors or just 1.5 ounces of one flavor, which were eaten as a snack or as part of a meal. Researchers took blood samples every four weeks and other health measure-ments every two weeks.

Indeed, results showed that all varieties of peanuts significantly decreased mean diastolic blood pressure in all participants. For those who had high blood pressure, the changes were greatest over the first two weeks of the study and were sustained throughout the 12 weeks (See Figure 1). Interestingly, the findings were similar for salted and unsalted peanuts; and while all participants decreased their blood pressure, those who ate

salted or unsalted peanuts had slightly greater decreases than those who consumed spicy or honey-roasted peanuts.

The paper explains that these results may be due to the arginine found in peanuts, “which promotes the production of nitric oxide—a vasodilator that potentially leads to a decrease in blood pressure.” Data shows that peanuts contain more arginine than any other nut, and in fact, more than any other whole food.18

In addition, as shown in previous research, this study found that daily peanut intake reduced total serum cholesterol and tri-glyceride levels in participants who had high levels at the start (See Figure 2). High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, while high blood cholesterol continues to be a major risk factor as well.

just

high BP (n=27)Normal BP (n=124)

85

80

75

70

Figure 1

high Cholesterol (n=24)Normal Cholesterol (n=127)

220

240

200

180

160

Figure 2

Jones, et al. AJCN, 2014

Bloo

d Pr

essu

re (m

mH

g)

Chol

este

rol (

mg/

dL)

Week Week

www.peanut-institute.org© 2014 The Peanut Institute

1. Bernstein AM, Sun Q, Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Willett WC. Major dietary protein sources and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. Circulation. 2010;122(9):876–883.

2. Huynh NN, Chin-Dusting J. Amino acids, arginase and nitric oxide in vascular health. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2006;33(1- 2):1-8.

3. Gonzalez C, Salas-Salvado J. The potential of nuts in the prevention of cancer. Br J Nutr, 2006;96(2):87-94.

4. Nouran MG, Kimiagar M, Abadi A, Mirzazadeh M, Harrison G. Peanut consumption and cardiovascular risk. Pub Health Nutr. 2009;13(10):1581-1586.

5. Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, Wolfe RR, Astrup A, Westerterp-Plantenga M. Protein, weight management, and satiety. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1558S-1561S.

6. Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce car-diovascular risk. Circulation. 2013; doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000437740.48606.d1.

7. Bao Y, Han J, Hu FB, et al. Association of nut con-sumption with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(21):2001-2011.

8. Commodity Consumption by Population Characteristics. United States Department of Agriculture: Economic Research Service. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-consumption-by-population- characteristics.aspx#.Uv53ff1teS4. Accessed on February 14, 2014.

9. Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Liu S, Willett WC, Hu FB. Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. JAMA. 2002;288:2554-2560.

10. Li TY, Brennan AM, Wedick NM, Mantzoros C, Rifai N, Hu FB. Regular consumption of nuts is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in women with type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 2009;139:1333-1338.

11. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2013, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26. Nutrient Data laboratory Home Page, http://ndb.nal.usda.gov.

12. Heart-Check Mark Nutrition Requirements. American Heart Association. Available at: https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/

NutritionCenter/HeartSmartShopping/Heart-Check-Mark-Nutrition-Requirements_UCM_300914_Article.jsp. Accessed on February 14, 2014.

13. Pan A, et al. Red Meat Consumption and mortal-ity, Arch Int Med. 2012;172(7): 555-63.

14. Bernstein AM, Pan A, Rexrode KM,, et al. Dietary protein sources and the risk of stroke in men and women. Stroke. 2012;43:637-644.

15. Jones JB, Provost M, Keaver L, Breen C, Ludy MJ, Mattes RD. A randomized trial on the effects of flavorings on the health benefits of daily peanut consumption. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99:490-496.

16. Kris-Etherton PM, Pearson TA, Wan Y, et al. High monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentra-tions. Am J of Clin Nutr. 1999;70:1009-1015.

17. Stephens AM, Dean LL, Davis JP, Osborne JA, Sanders TH. Peanuts, peanut oil, and fat free peanut flour reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors and the development of atheroscle-rosis in Syrian golden hamsters. J Food Sci. 2010;75(4):H116-H122.

18. Francisco, ML, Resurreccion. Functional Components in Peanuts. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2008;48:715-746.

Volume 18 Issue 3

TEL: 1-888-8PEANUTwww.peanut-institute.org

Ingredients

• ¾ cup farro, barley or brown rice• 1 lb sweet potatoes• 4 Tbsp olive oil• ¾ cup chopped peanuts• 1 lb chopped mushroom caps• 3 chopped shallots• 1 tsp ground black pepper• ¾ tsp salt• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese• ½ cup peanut flour or all-purpose flour• ½ cup breadcrumbs• 10 whole grain hamburger buns or rolls

The Peanut Institute is a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and develops educational programs to encourage healthy lifestyles.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cook farro, barley or brown rice according to package.

3. Boil the sweet potatoes. Drain and set aside. Once the potatoes are cool, peel and place them in a large bowl.

4. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and sauté the peanuts for one minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until the water has released and the pan is dry again. Add mushroom and peanut mixture to bowl with sweet potatoes.

5. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil in the pan and cook shallots, pepper and salt for 2 minutes. Add to bowl with sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

6. Add Parmesan and farro, barley or brown rice to bowl and mix with potato masher.

7. Mix breadcrumbs and flour in a shallow dish. Form 10 patties from the mixture. Press each patty into the breadcrumb mixture and place on baking sheet.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Serve with lowfat swiss cheese, carmelized onions, or even peanut sauce on your favorite whole-wheat bun.

Recipe developed by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service to

The Peanut Institute.

Follow your heart!peanut farro veggie burgerSwap red meat one night this week for heart-health. Try this plant-based peanut burger!

References