Ten research studies over the past year concerning nuts (peanuts, peanut butter, almonds, walnuts and other nuts) show important implications for promoting nuts as part of a beneficial eating pattern such as the “Mediterranean diet”. In fact, in the quest for nutritious, economic, popular and health-promoting food developments, peanuts are worth a serious look.
By Louise McKerchar
Key research findings
Based on the largest meta-analysis ever undertaken of dietary factors in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD), a research team at McMaster University in Canada found that there was a causal link between a small number of dietary factors – nut consumption amongst them – and protection from CHD [1]. The team’s findings singled out vegetables and nuts, the Mediterranean eating pattern and unsaturated fatty acids as strongly associated with reduced CHD risk.
Diabetes is a global and rapidly growing health problem. At the April 2009, Experimental Biology Conference, researchers from the University of Toronto presented the findings of the largest study to date looking at the role peanuts and other nuts may play in the dietary control of Type 2 diabetes [2]. It is thought that nuts may work by improving blood lipid profiles and
possibly reduce blood glucose levels.
Fighting the flab
Evidence shows that frequent nut consumption as part of a healthy diet does not pose a risk of significant weight gain or obesity in normal weight individuals. The 2009 Harvard University twenty-year study of 51,000 participants examined the relationship between nut consumption and long term weight change among nurses aged between 20 and 45 [3]. Those women eating peanuts, peanut butter or tree nuts more than twice a week over the 1990s gained less weight than women who did not eat them. They also had a lower risk of obesity during the eight years that followed. In fact, higher total nut consumption was associated with lower body mass index (BMI). High satiety due to protein and fibre content was singled out by the researchers as explaining why the nut-eaters didn’t gain weight, along with the nuts’ largely unsaturated fat energy density.
The diverse range of ingredients available (whole, granulated, nibbed, as oil, extract, flour, paste and butter) mean that peanuts offer multiple benefits and great value as an ingredient. Peanut flour, made from roasted peanuts, is a unique, versatile ingredient. It can be used to control the fat migration of products with high fat centres and in peanut butter fillings and / or peanut butter flavoured frostings and icings for baked goods. In the US, peanut flour is widely used in nutritional snack and diet bars to provide peanut flavour, modify texture and enhance the protein content. It is now becoming increasingly popular in Europe.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has studied peanuts from around the world, using trained flavour specialists and US and European consumer taste panels. Results showed that American peanuts consistently had the highest “peanutty” flavour. We now know that they have the potential to contribute to a healthy lifestyle, helping people to remain slim and fit.
References
1. Mente A et al. A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease. Archives of Internal Medicine 2009;169(7): 659-669.
2. Kendall C et al. Longer-term effects of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control in Type 2 diabetes 2009 Experimental Biology meeting abstracts, Abstract #563.30; FASEB Journal 2009; 2: 563.30.
3. Bes-Rastrollo M et al. Prospective study of nut consumption, long-term weight change, and obesity risk in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009; 89: 1-7.
The author
Louise McKerchar
European Marketing Director
American Peanut Council
Grosvenor Gardens House
35 – 37 Grosvenor Gardens
London, SW1W 0BS, UK.
Tel: +44 0 207 828 0838
Email: lmckerchar@peanutsusa.org.uk
