Researchers at Penn State showed that subjects could lose weight on a higher fat diet as effectively as those on a low fat diet. Subjects added the good fats back into their diets with daily servings of peanut butter, peanuts and mixed nuts. An assessment of USDA data showed that peanut eaters in the population have better nutrient intakes and body weight profiles. Purdue scientists found that peanut eaters were more satisfied.
Peanuts also contain powerful plant chemicals such as phytosterols which can inhibit cancer growth.
Both diets lowered total and LDL cholesterol, known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A real-life example of the benefits of adding peanuts and peanut butter to a healthy diet is a study conducted by Frank Sacks, M.D., and Kathy McManus, M.S., R.D., at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Rick Mattes, Ph.D., R.D., a satiety expert at Purdue University, examined why peanuts and peanut butter may help people stick to weight-loss programs. Dr. Mattes and collaborator Corinna Lermer found that when 500 calories of peanuts were added to subjects' regular diets, substituted in the diet for other fat, or eaten freely, the results were the same-the men and women automatically compensated for most of the additional calories for most of the additional calories and they spontaneously commented on the high satiety of the peanuts. SIT has previously been shown to inhibit cancer growth, especially prostate cancer.