Introduction: The period around the Mid-Autumn Festival is the season for harvesting peanuts. Peanuts have long been known as the "longevity fruit," and eating them correctly offers five major health benefits.
Boiled peanuts, fried peanuts, peanut soup... Peanuts are nutritious, affordable, and a beloved nut in China. Recently, the American magazine *Cooking Light* synthesized the latest research and published an article on the five benefits of peanuts.
1. Appetite Control.
Peanuts are a "high satiety" food, making you feel fuller for longer. An article published in the *Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism* found that people who snack on peanuts eat less. Dr. Mattes, a professor in the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, said: "The high satiety of peanuts is not just due to their fat, dietary fiber, and protein content, but the result of all these factors working together." Kathy McManus, director of the Nutrition Department at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said that eating peanuts or peanut butter for breakfast can reduce food intake throughout the day.
2. Helps Reduce Salt Intake.
Salty snacks are often high in sodium. However, the salt content in salted peanuts is less than that in an equal weight of sliced bread or frozen waffles. Therefore, salted peanuts can satisfy your craving for salt without easily leading to excessive sodium intake.
3. Stabilizes Blood Sugar.
Studies have found that if people replace one serving of red meat in their diet with peanuts, their risk of developing diabetes is reduced by 21%. Peanuts slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. Eating some peanuts in the morning can help keep your blood sugar from spiking throughout the day.
4. Maintains Heart Health.
An article in the *Journal of Nutrition* pointed out that people who eat the most peanuts can reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 35%. Researchers believe that the fatty acid composition of peanuts, along with the effects of other components, can lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), promoting a healthier heart.
5. Reduces the Risk of Colon Cancer.
Studies have found that women who eat peanuts at least twice a week can reduce their risk of colon cancer by 58%, while men can reduce their risk by 27%. Scientists speculate that this may be due to the action of folic acid and other anti-cancer nutrients in peanuts.
Improper Storage of Peanuts Can Lead to Carcinogens
Peanuts are one of the most common foods in our daily lives. We all know that peanuts are known as the "longevity fruit," which speaks to their health-preserving effects. So, how should peanuts be eaten for the greatest health benefits?
Peanuts are nutritious, affordable, and easily accessible health food. According to scientific research, peanuts contain a large amount of plant sterols, which are very beneficial to human health. In particular, beta-sitosterol has been shown to prevent colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Further research by American scientists has found that peanuts also contain "resveratrol." This substance has strong biological activity and can not only fight cancer but also inhibit platelet aggregation, preventing myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction. Every 100 grams of peanuts also contains 8.48 milligrams of zinc, which can enhance immune function and delay aging. Therefore, peanuts are praised as the "longevity fruit."
However, peanuts are the crop most susceptible to *Aspergillus flavus* infection. According to research by Professor Li Peiwu, a doctoral supervisor at the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, peanuts can be infected by *Aspergillus flavus* throughout their entire growth cycle, including while they are in the field. After harvest, due to the influence of temperature, humidity, and storage conditions, peanuts are even more prone to infection. In the process of reproduction and metabolism, *Aspergillus flavus* produces a large amount of toxins (mainly aflatoxin B1), which contaminates peanuts and their products. It has now been confirmed that aflatoxin can be found in improperly stored peanuts, peanut oil, peanut beverages, and peanut butter.
Scientists worldwide recognize that aflatoxin is the strongest carcinogen discovered to date. Aflatoxin B1, in particular, is ten times more toxic than potassium cyanide and 68 times more toxic than arsenic. Its physicochemical properties are very stable; it cannot be degraded in the human body and can only accumulate in liver cells. When the amount of aflatoxin deposited exceeds the body's tolerance, it causes liver damage and inflammation, and can even induce liver cancer.