Peanuts appear to offer cardio protection.

Fat-free peanut flour, whole peanuts and peanut oil all may have cardioprotective properties, results from a new animal study suggest. USDA-ARS scientists presented the findings at this year's Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting.

For the study, male hamsters were randomly divided into four groups. Each group of nearly 20 hamsters was fed one of four different diets, all of which were high-fat and high-cholesterol. Each diet consisted of nearly equal percentages of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. For three of the four test diets, equivalent amounts of food component were substituted with fat-free peanut flour, peanut oil or peanuts without skins. The fourth diet contained no peanut product and served as the control group.

After the hamsters had been on the test diets for six months, the researchers tested their blood lipid chemistry. Compared to hamsters in the no-peanut control group, those in each of the three peanut groups were found to have significantly lower total cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol. Also, positive HDL "good" cholesterol levels held steady.

Other blood chemistry research has been published that links reduced heart disease risk factors in humans with consuming peanut butter and peanut oil, but this is the first animal study to exhibit such an effect from consuming the fat-free portion of peanuts. While it is still unknown if the effect would translate to humans, the researchers' confirmatory and additional research studies with peanut components are ongoing.

Eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce your risk of heart disease, according to the FDA. Nuts can supply up to 20% of daily recommended protein. The FDA suggests a daily intake of 50 grams of protein in a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. Almonds, peanuts, and pistachios provide 6 or 7 grams of protein in a one-ounce serving. All nuts are high in monounsaturated fat, the type that decreases LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol levels. And nuts have up to 3 grams of fiber, which help regulate blood glucose levels, reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. As with all plant-based foods, nuts contain no cholesterol.

Further information. Tim Sanders, USDA-ARS Market Quality and Handling Research Unit, 236A Schaub Hall, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: mailto:[e-mail].