Peanuts and almonds are filled with a number of nutrients for your body, including antioxidants, protein, selenium and vitamin E. In addition, they contain mostly healthy fats, which can replace less healthy saturated fat in your diet. Evidence also suggests that peanuts, but not almonds, can increase good high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol.
HDL
Although most people focus on lowering bad LDL cholesterol for reducing heart disease, HDL plays a pivotal role in improving heart health. HDL cleans out excess LDL cholesterol from artery walls and sends it to your liver where it's broken down and excreted. This helps keep artery walls from hardening and blocking blood flow to your heart. According to the Mayo Clinic, your HDL cholesterol levels should be between 40 and 60 mg/dl.
Peanuts
Scientists at Shahid Beheshiti University in Iran studied the impact of peanut consumption and cardiovascular risk in men with hypercholesterolemic, or high cholesterol levels. Participants followed a diet with or without 77 g of peanuts for four weeks. Cholesterol levels were measured before and after the study. Researchers reported in the October 2010 issue of "Public Health Nutrition" that those in the peanut group experienced increases in HDL cholesterol compared with those without peanuts.
Almonds
Researchers at the University of Connecticut reviewed the scientific literature regarding the impact of almonds on lipids. They discovered that almond consumption ranging from 25 to 168 g a day had no effect on HDL cholesterol levels, according to research reported in the May 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association."
Considerations
If you plan to consume peanuts to increase HDL cholesterol levels, do so in moderation since they contain a lot of fat and calories. In addition, if you are allergic to peanuts, avoid them and find another viable food option.
References
- Mayo Clinic; High Cholesterol; June 2011
- "Public Health Nutrition"; Peanut Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk; M. Nouran Ghadimi et al.; October 2010
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Almonds Have a Neutral Effect on Serum Lipid Profiles: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials; O.J. Phung et al.; May 2009
