Eating Peanuts may Reduce Risk of Death, Cardiovascular Disease

Eating peanuts, in small amounts, may reduce the risk of mortality, especially death from cardiovascular disease, revealed a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Peanuts are high in and unsaturated fat, fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants and can boost cardiovascular health with as little as 30 grams eaten weekly. The study comprised of more than 70,000 Caucasians and blacks in the United States and some 130,000 Chinese people in Shanghai. Researchers found that consuming peanuts regularly reduced mortality by 17 to 21 percent among the study participants, and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was slashed by 23 to 38 percent. The findings suggest that eating peanuts, which are relatively affordable, can be an inexpensive and nutritious way to reduce mortality and cardiovascular disease around the world.

Senior author Xiao-Ou Shu said, "We found that peanut consumption was associated with reduced total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in a predominantly low-income black and white population in the US, and among Chinese men and women living in Shanghai."

However, co-author William Blot warned, "Because the data was from observational epidemiological studies and not randomized clinical trials, we cannot be sure that peanuts per se were responsible for the reduced mortality observed. The findings from this new study, however, reinforce earlier research suggesting health benefits from eating nuts, and thus are quite encouraging."

Source-Medindia