In Pennsylvania, eating peanuts with a meal may help protect against cardiovascular diseases, according to findings reported by Penn State researchers in the current Journal of Nutrition issue. The study showed that when peanuts are eaten with a meal, the typical post-meal increase of triglycerides — a type of fat found in the bloodstream — is blunted.
“Typically, whenever we eat something, it causes the arteries to get a little bit stiffer during the post-meal period, but we have shown that if you eat peanuts with your meal, this can help prevent the stiffening response,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State.
The researchers recruited 15 healthy overweight and obese men for the study, who ate a control meal with three ounces of ground unsalted peanuts in the form of a shake. A control group was fed a shake of similar nutritional quantity and quality, but without the peanuts.