Peanut consumption ‘linked to lower mortality rates’

A new study has suggested that peanut consumption may be able to help to prevent premature death, particularly from heart disease.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the Shanghai Cancer Institute have examined the association of peanut and nut consumption with mortality among low-income and racially diverse populations.

It was found that intake of peanuts was associated with fewer deaths, especially from cardiovascular causes, across all of the population cohorts studied. In total, more than 200,000 people were included in this research.

Although the results would need to be reproduced in clinical conditions to confirm causality, these findings align with current knowledge that nuts are rich in nutrients, and offer antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and endothelial function maintenance properties.

Dr William Blot, associate director for cancer prevention, control and population-based research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, said: "The findings from this new study reinforce earlier research suggesting health benefits from eating nuts, and thus are quite encouraging."

This could be a particularly important discovery due to the fact that peanuts are much less expensive than tree nuts, making them more widely available to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds.