Lubbock, Texas — Are you trying to lose weight? Try adding peanuts to your diet. A team of international researchers have found that eating lightly salted peanuts twice daily before meals can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and improve your fasting blood sugar levels.
Researchers at the Texas Institute of Technology and the University of South Australia examined data on two groups of Australian adults at moderate or high risk of type 2 diabetes between January and December 2021. Fifty adults in the control group did not eat nuts or nut butter. Another group of 57 adults ate 35 grams of lightly salted dry roasted peanuts twice daily 30 minutes before meals.
At 6 months, researchers found that both groups achieved significant weight loss and improved blood glucose levels, although the peanut-rich group had lower blood pressure than the control group.
“Our study found that healthy unsaturated fat-rich peanuts actually helped lose weight,” said Christina Petersen, an assistant professor at the College of Nutrition Science at Texas Tech University. It is stated in the announcement of. “We often avoid peanuts when trying to lose weight because we believe that peanuts have too many calories. However, peanuts are actually more full, so stay full longer. It can be very useful for those who are on a weight loss diet. “
Do you need to worry about the salt content of peanuts?
An ounce of peanuts contains 7 grams of protein, about 3 grams of fiber, and 19 vitamins and minerals. For this reason, the peanut-rich group was consuming an additional 15 grams of protein.
Peanuts may pack nutritious punches, but if there is a problem with the “low salt” aspect of this snack, as studies have linked higher salt intake to poor heart health. there is. However, the group that ate lightly salted peanuts had improved systolic blood pressure compared to the control group. Petersen provided three explanations for the results.
- Lightly salted peanuts are low-sodium foods that contain 90-100 milligrams per serving.
- Peanuts are at a high level ArginineAmino acids that dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure
- Peanuts contain magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.
The study is published in the journal Nutrients..
