Peanut consumption and heart risk markers in men with high cholesterol
What it found
Adding about 77 g of peanuts a day to the usual diet for 4 weeks raised good cholesterol and lowered estimated heart disease risk in men with high cholesterol.
The trial involved 54 men living normally in Iran.
What they found
Studies in people
Good cholesterol rose
HDL cholesterol went up by 17 % when men added peanuts to their usual diet. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol stayed about the same.
Heart risk estimates fell
The estimated chance of a heart event over 10 years dropped by 14 % to 24 %, depending on which blood pressure reading was used in the calculation.
Antioxidant capacity increased
A blood measure of total antioxidant capacity rose by 13 % during the peanut period. A marker linked to artery plaque risk fell by 35 %.
Body weight stayed stable
Men did not gain weight despite eating extra energy from peanuts. They naturally ate less of other foods, replacing about 12 % of their usual energy intake.
Nutrient intake shifted
Eating peanuts raised the men's intake of fibre, plant protein, magnesium, folate and certain fats. Their intake of animal protein went down.
What the authors conclude
- They say that adding peanuts to the usual diet for a short time may improve cholesterol balance and lower estimated heart disease risk in men with high cholesterol.
- They suggest that simply eating more peanuts could be a straightforward way to reduce some heart risk factors.
- They call for longer studies to see whether these effects last over time.
How it was done
Earlier research linked eating nuts to lower heart disease risk, but most studies also changed other parts of the diet at the same time. The authors wanted to see what peanuts alone would do when added to a normal diet without any other changes.
Fifty-four men with high cholesterol took part in a trial in Tehran. Each man spent 4 weeks eating his normal diet and 4 weeks adding peanuts to it, with a 4-week break between periods. The daily peanut amount was about 77 g on average, ranging from 60 g to 93 g depending on how much energy each man usually ate.
What it can’t tell you
- The trial lasted only 4 weeks per diet period, so it cannot show what happens over months or years of eating peanuts.
- All participants were men with high cholesterol, so the results may not apply to women or people with normal cholesterol levels.
- The study measured risk estimates rather than actual heart attacks or strokes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Shahid Beheshti University MC, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Peanut consumption and cardiovascular risk
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ghadimi Nouran M, Kimiagar M, Abadi A, Mirzazadeh M, Harrison G (2010). Peanut consumption and cardiovascular risk. Public health nutrition. doi:10.1017/S1368980009992837Free full textPubMed 20025830DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error