On Fri, 31 Jul 1998, Don Wiss wrote:

> Newsgroup: sci.med.nutrition
> Subject: Re: Peanuts and heart disease?
> From: [log in to unmask](Steven B. Harris)
> Date: 31 Jul 1998 06:19:14 GMT
>
> >Do peanut promote coronary artery disease?
>
> Yes.  They contain odd triglycerides that promote cholesterol
> production, even though the fatty acid residues in them are unsaturated
> and would in theory be good for cholesterol.  If you could de-esterify
> (saponify) and re-esterify peanut oil with different FA ordering, it
> would be fine.  But nobody (of course) bothers.  So stay away from
> peanuts.  Almond and hazel nut butters taste better anyway.

I am not convinced.  Does this person have any references to show
that peanut consumption is correlated with CHD, or is this
another a priori conjecture, that they *ought* to be?  Is there
any evidence linking them with elevated cholesterol?  I have done
quite a lot of searching on peanuts and I can't find *anything*
to link them with CHD.  On the contrary, the only studies I've
found show a negative correlation.  The Adventist studies, for
example, suggest that regular nut consumption -- including
peanuts, even though they are not "true" nuts -- has a strong
protective effect.  The mechanism is not known but the best
theory to date is the recently discovered fact that nuts, and
especially peanuts, are high in resveratrol.  This is the
bioflavonoid also found in red wine that is believed to help
prevent formation of arterial plaques.  Peanuts are significantly
higher in resveratrol than grapes are.

It is incomprehensible to me that whole peanuts should be
rejected because of a conjectured cholesterol-raising effect
while coconut oil, a refined and concentrated substance with
well-documented cholesterol-raising effects, is acceptable.
Legumes, which have massively documented cholesterol-lowering
effects, are not acceptable.

Todd Moody
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