Peanuts can help children meet dietary requirements

Nutrition Health Review, Summer, 2004

A study from The Pennsylvania State University shows that just one serving of peanuts or peanut butter a day can help children and adults meet requirements for nutrients that are often lacking in American diets.

The data originated from a U.S. Department of Agriculture national survey conducted to determine what people were eating. Those who consumed peanut butter and peanuts had higher intakes of several hard-to-get nutrients than did those who did not consume peanuts.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has discovered that vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber, are all lacking in typical American diets. Those who ate peanut butter and peanuts had increased amounts of vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and dietary fiber in their diets. The peanut eaters also had leaner bodies than the non-peanut eaters.

Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State and the study author, emphasized that including peanuts and peanut butter daily in a calorie-balanced diet could help people achieve important nutrient goals. For this reason, peanuts have often been referred to as Mother Nature's multivitamin.

Vitamin E, which is difficult to obtain from foods, is thought to help prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. One serving of peanut butter contains 18 percent of the Daily Value of vitamin E; one serving of peanuts contains 16 percent.

One serving of peanuts contains almost 10 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance of folate, a nutrient that helps to break down the amino acid homocysteine, which in high levels can lead to artery damage and an increased risk of heart attack.

Americans currently consume only about half of the fiber that they .need each day. Fiber consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A one-ounce serving of peanuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter contains about 2 grams of fiber. That is as much as a slice of whole-wheat bread. A peanut butter sandwich with whole-wheat bread contains six grams of beneficial dietary fiber. In contrast, a deli sandwich provides only one or two grams.

Peanut butter eaters and peanut eaters also had higher intakes of magnesium, which some consider important in preventing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In a study from Purdue University, subjects who had low magnesium levels were able to bring them up to a normal range within eight weeks by consuming peanuts daily. A one-ounce serving of peanuts or a two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 13 and 14 percent, respectively, of the Daily Value for magnesium.

This study also helps to dispel the misconception that higher-fat foods automatically lead to weight gain. The peanut eaters had leaner bodies than the non-peanut eaters, as measured by body mass index (BMI), an indicator of fatness. Peanut eaters also had lower intakes of "bad" saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher intakes of "good" mono-unsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

(Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, December 2004.)