Peanuts and pecans may pack high calories inside their shells,
but researchers have uncovered added value that far outweighs
the
high calorie count.

For years, nutritionists have known that peanuts and pecans are
high in Vitamin E and folic acid. University of Georgia food
scientists have now found that these nuts contain high levels of
plant sterols, which lower blood cholesterol levels.

“Plant sterols are considered to be significant functional food
components,” said Ron Eitenmiller, a food scientist with the UGA
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “They aren’t
nutrients or vitamins, but they are really potent, effective
food
constituents.”

Eitenmiller said plant sterols compete with the absorption of
cholesterol. When eaten in the right quantities, they can reduce
serum cholesterol in humans.

“Plant sterols are now considered by the medical community and
the Food and Drug Administration as another approach to lowering
serum cholesterol,” he said. “This has a direct effect on
reducing coronary heart disease. And peanuts and pecans are
concentrated sources of plant sterols.”

High Levels of Plant Sterols

Peanuts and pecans contain much higher levels of plant sterols
than many other foods. “Peanuts have 150 milligrams per 100
grams. And pecans contain 100 milligrams per 100 grams,”
Eitenmiller said. “The amounts are significant when compared to
most other foods, which contain much lower sterol levels than
nuts.”

Eitenmiller and UGA food scientist Phillip Koehler recently
completed a study on Vitamin E and folates in peanuts and
pecans.

Their research was in support of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Nutrient Composition Laboratory, a section of USDA
that provides nutritional information on the U.S. food supply.
“Our research is providing the USDA with really good,
quantitative information,” he said.

Vitamin E, Folic Acid

Virtually all nuts are high in Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant.
Pecans contain 25 milligrams per 100 grams. Dry roasted peanuts
contain 19 milligrams per 100 grams.

Folic acid is needed in forming red blood cells. Lack of folic
acid can lead to many deficiency symptoms. Eitenmiller said
nuts,
as a group, are good sources of folic acid.

“All peanut products are good sources of folate,” he said.
“Folate is an unstable vitamin that is in relatively short
supply
in our daily diets.” Besides in nuts, folic acid is in orange
juice, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, beans and enriched
cereal products.

“A few years ago, folic acid was linked to neural tube defects
in
newborns,” Eitenmiller said. “It’s been proven that if mothers
don’t get enough folic acid before their pregnancies, it can
lead
to a higher incidence of this birth defect. This led the FDA to
begin enriching flour products with folic acid in 1998.”

Eitenmiller and Koehler studied a number of Georgia peanut and
pecan varieties from the 1998 and ’99 crops. They compared the
levels of Vitamin E and folic acid in pecans, raw peanuts,
roasted peanuts and peanuts processed for peanut butter.

“We found very little nutritional difference between raw peanuts
and processed peanuts,” Eitenmiller said. “And there are no
differences in varieties or in geographical growing
locations.”

Consumption Declining

Until recently, despite the excellent nutritional qualities of
peanuts, consumption has been declining, Eitenmiller said. “One
of the basic reasons peanut consumption went down was people’s
perception that peanuts are bad for you because of the fat
content,” he said.

“But the fat itself is very highly polyunsaturated,” he said.
“It’s a good mix of fatty acids that are considered to be
optimal
for good human health. So even the fat content is another
advantage of eating nuts.”

He said people should work nuts into daily diets in moderation.
“We are never going to get away from the fact that pecans are 70
percent fat and peanuts are 45 or more percent fat,” he said.
“But from a nutritional standpoint, their fat is much better for
you than the fat you get eating a fast-food hamburger.”