Peanuts Prevail

A legume, peanuts are a good source of vitamin E, niacin, folate, manganese protein and fiber. Previously, some studies suggest that consumption of peanuts may lower the risks of coronary artery disease.  In that vascular dysfunction plays a major role in the development of atherosclerosis and the formation of coronary plaques and lesions that lead to coronary artery disease, Xiaoran Liu, from The Pennsylvania State University (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues evaluated vascular function after a high fat meal challenge. Fifteen overweight men were randomly assigned to receive either a peanut meal containing 3 oz. of ground peanuts (as a shake), or a control meal (a shake without peanuts) that were matched for energy and macronutrients. The investigators measured subjects for lipid profile, glucose and insulin five times after each meal. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was measured to assess vascular function. The researchers observed that whereas the control meal decreased FMD by 1.2% compared to baseline, there was no decrease in FMD after the peanut meal, suggesting that the peanut meal maintained normal vascular function (whereas the high fat-matched control meal impaired vascular function acutely). The study authors comment that: “Our finding demonstrated that that peanut consumption was shown to be atheroprotective as a part of high fat meal.”