Some labels will soon carry the government-approved message, "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces of most nuts, such as peanuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. See nutrition information for fat content."
One of the strongest studies presented to FDA was a six-month controlled study done at Pennsylvania State University. Subjects following the "peanut diet" lowered total cholesterol by 11 percent and the bad LDL cholesterol by 14 percent. Triglycerides were also lowered but the good HDL cholesterol was maintained.
The principal investigator, Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, says, "the overall results of our study show that diets that include peanuts and peanut butter daily reduce the risk of heart disease by 21 percent as compared to the average American diet, whereas a low-fat diet reduces the risk by only 12 percent compared to the average American diet."
Large population studies, such as the Adventists Health Study, the Iowa Women's Health Study and the Physicians Heath Study, all show a linear relationship between cardioprotective benefits and peanut and nut consumption. Data from Harvard School of Public Health's Nurses' Health Study has shown that substituting peanuts and nuts for saturated fat or refined carbohydrates can reduce risk of heart disease by 45 and 30 percent, respectively.
