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the peanut packs a powerful punch, helping weight loss and lowering blood pressure
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lightly salted peanuts are a low-sodium food that contains arginine, an amino acid that dilates blood vessels and helps brings down blood pressure. getty
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a new study has found appetizing evidence for putting the humble peanut back on the menu, even when you’re trying to shed a few pounds.
according to the research, published in the journal nutrients, snacking on lightly salted peanuts twice a day before meals resulted in weight loss, lower blood pressure and improved fasting glucose levels. the study was funded the peanut institute, a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and healthy lifestyles that include peanuts.
“our study found that peanuts, which are high in healthy unsaturated fats, can actually aid weight loss,” said kristina petersen, an assistant research professor from texas tech university, who collaborated on the study. “peanuts are often avoided when people are trying to lose weight because they believe peanuts contain too many calories. however, peanuts actually have a high satiety value, meaning they keep you feeling fuller longer and that can be really helpful for those on a weight loss diet.”
to explore the issue, researchers recruited just over 100 participants who were at moderate or high risk for type 2 diabetes into a randomized trial that divided them into two groups: a control group containing 50 adults who were told not to eat any nuts or nut butter; and an intervention group of 57 adults who were given 35 grams of lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts twice a day, half an hour before meals.
peanuts are often avoided because of high calorie count
both groups received nutrition education from an accredited dietician and were instructed to follow an energy-restricted diet. they were also required to keep their exercise patterns consistent throughout the course of study.
after six months, researchers discovered that both groups experienced a statistically significant amount of weight loss, despite the intervention group consuming an additional 400 calories a day in peanuts. the group that was instructed to eat peanuts lost 14.78 lbs and the group that refrained from eating peanuts lost 14.52 pounds.
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the intervention group also experienced a greater reduction in their systolic blood pressure than the control group, a decrease of 5 mmhg — an amount researchers say corresponds to a 10 per cent lower risk of suffering a major cardiovascular event. salty foods usually lead to an increase in blood pressure but, according to peterson, lightly salted peanuts are actually a low-sodium food that contains arginine, an amino acid that dilates blood vessels and helps brings down blood pressure. peanuts also contain magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure, according to the study.
“this randomized trial showed that a peanut-enriched weight loss diet resulted in similar weight loss to a traditional low-fat weight loss diet,” the study concludes. “however, greater systolic blood pressure reductions were observed with the peanut-containing weight loss diet vs. the traditional diet at six months.
“collectively, the results of this trial suggest that 70 grams per day of peanuts may be included in an energy-restricted weight loss diet without attenuating weight loss over a six-month period.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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