Peanuts/Antioxidants

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PEANUTS RIVAL FRUIT AS SOURCE OF HEALTH-PROMOTING ANTIOXIDANTS, UF

RESEARCHERS SAY

Dec. 21, 2004

 

Previously posted to SoFlaVegans

 

http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2004news/peanutoxidants.htm

 

Peanut Oxidants PhotoGAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Peanuts are often thought

of as high-fat foods, but party goers can feel a little better about

reaching for the roasted nuts at holiday gatherings this season.

 

Not only do peanuts contain the so-called " good " kind of fat, but

University of Florida researchers have found they also are high in a

wide variety of helpful antioxidants, rivaling the fruits often

sought out by health-conscious consumers.

 

" When it comes to antioxidant content, peanuts are right up there

with strawberries, " said Steve Talcott, an assistant professor of

food science and human nutrition at UF's Institute of Food and

Agricultural Sciences. " We expected a fairly high antioxidant content

in peanuts, but we were a bit shocked to find that they're as rich in

antioxidants as many kinds of fruit. "

 

Talcott and other UF researchers tested the antioxidant content of a

dozen different peanut varieties in a study published recently in an

issue of the journal Food Chemistry dated May 2005.

 

Antioxidants are chemicals that block the aging effects of free

radicals - unstable molecules naturally occurring in the human body

that damage living cells. The damage caused by free radicals has been

linked to heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and macular

degeneration of the eye.

 

The growing reputation of antioxidants has led an increasing number

of people to include more fruits in their diets, particularly those

that are orange or red in color, because such foods have been found

to be rich in the health-promoting chemicals. Vitamins A, C, and E

are recognized as antioxidants, and polyphenols - a family of

chemicals commonly found in foods - also have strong antioxidant

properties. Peanuts are a good source of Vitamin E, but in the past

they typically have not been considered an antioxidant-rich food,

largely because of a lack of data on their polyphenol content.

 

Now UF researchers have found that peanuts contain high

concentrations of polyphenols- chiefly a compound called p-coumaric

acid. And they found that roasting can increase the level of

p-coumaric acid in peanuts, boosting their overall antioxidant

content by as much as 22 percent.

 

" If you compare them (peanuts) to other foods people think of as rich

in antioxidants - mostly fruits and berries - peanuts come out

somewhere in the middle, " Talcott said. " They're no match for the

foods at the top of the scale, such as pomegranate, but they do rival

other foods that people eat just for their antioxidant content. "

 

Talcott said roasted peanuts are about as rich in antioxidants as

blackberries or strawberries, and are far richer in the chemicals

than fruits such as apples, carrots or beets.

 

The findings add to the growing reputation peanuts are getting for

their healthy benefits.

 

" We already know from previous studies that including peanuts and

peanut butter in a healthful diet can lower cholesterol, help people

lose weight and prevent type 2 diabetes, " said Kristen Ciuba, a

nutritionist for the Peanut Institute, a nonprofit organization in

Albany, Ga., funded by the peanut industry.

 

The UF researchers' findings were part of a broader study designed to

measure the nutritional differences between traditional peanut breeds

and the growing number of high oleic peanuts now available to peanut

growers.

 

Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat, part of a family of chemicals

sometimes referred to as " good " fat. A diet rich in oleic acid is

believed to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the chance of heart

disease. In recent years, UF and a handful of other universities have

bred new peanut varieties that have higher-than-average levels of

oleic acid.

 

High-oleic peanuts also have a far longer shelf life than other

peanuts, largely because oleic acid doesn't oxidize as rapidly as

other kinds of fat. Talcott and his fellow researchers thought that

the peanuts' high antioxidant content might be responsible for that

effect, but their tests showed no significant differences in

antioxidant content between high-oleic and traditional peanuts.

 

Agronomy professor Dan Gorbet, who heads UF's peanut-breeding

program, said it should be possible to breed the nuts with high

antioxidant levels in mind.

 

" It's certainly worth looking into further, " said Gorbet, a co-author

of the study. " The big question is not whether it can be done - the

question is whether the demand is there. So far, people haven't been

seeking out peanuts for their antioxidant content, but maybe in the

future they will be. "

 

By: Tim Lockette

Sources: Steve Talcott, (352) 392-1991, Ext. 218,

STTalcott

Dan Gorbet, (850) 482-9956, dgorbet