Scientists have identified a link between eating peanuts and the risk of diabetes
Nutrition affects not only the total level of cholesterol and other fats in the blood, but also the composition of lipids, molecules involved in metabolism. Scientists have found that after eating peanuts, the content of certain fatty acids in the blood changes. The resulting lipid profile was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but this association was largely due to body mass index. About what changes the researchers have identified and why the results do not prove that peanuts prevent diabetes, see the Izvestia article.
Peanuts change the composition of fats in the blood
A study by scientists from the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rebrück and the University of Barcelona has been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN). The authors studied how the consumption of peanuts affects lipids circulating in the blood, and whether the detected changes are associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
To do this, the researchers combined the results of two studies. The first study involved 63 healthy people aged 18 to 33 years. For six months, they consumed one of three foods: 25 grams of roasted peanuts, 32 grams of peanut paste, or 32 grams of control peanut butter. This made it possible to compare changes in blood lipid composition depending on the diet.
What changes have the scientists found?
After eating peanuts, the researchers revealed changes in the composition of lipids, including an increase in the content of saturated fatty acids with a very long chain. The amount of two such acids, C22:0 and C24:0, increased especially noticeably. They are characterized by a long molecular chain length, which contains more than 20 carbon atoms.
To detect these changes, the scientists used a detailed analysis of plasma lipids using mass spectrometry. As a result, they identified a characteristic combination of changes called the peanut lipid profile (PeLS). It reflects not just an increase in the total amount of fat, but a change in the composition of individual lipid groups.
Ines Dominguez-Lopez, the first author of the study
It's not just about increasing fat levels, but about a complex restructuring of the lipid profile. Having studied the specific composition of peanut lipids, we have discovered a potential biological marker linking the quality of dietary fats with metabolic parameters.
Lipid profile was found to be associated with diabetes risk
In the second stage, the researchers used data from long-term follow-up, which involved more than 27,000 people. The scientists compared the revealed lipid profile with data on new cases of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The analysis included 774 cases of diabetes and 545 cases of cardiovascular diseases.
It turned out that the lipid profile characteristic of peanut consumption was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. However, the researchers did not find a similar relationship with cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the results do not allow us to say that changes in lipids are equally associated with all diseases that depend on metabolism.
What role did body mass index play?
Separately, scientists assessed the body mass index (BMI), an indicator that is calculated by the ratio of a person's weight and height. The analysis showed that the association between the lipid profile of peanuts and a lower risk of diabetes was largely due to BMI.
Ines Dominguez-Lopez
This suggests that the positive metabolic effects of these specific lipids derived from peanuts may be related to their ability to maintain a healthier body weight or stabilize metabolic processes associated with obesity.
What do the results allow us to assert
The study combined an experiment involving volunteers and data from long-term observation of a large group of people. This approach allowed us to first identify changes in lipids after eating peanuts, and then check whether they are associated with subsequent cases of diseases.
At the same time, only 63 young healthy people participated in the experimental part, and long-term follow-up data show statistical relationships, but do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Therefore, the results do not mean that eating peanuts alone prevents type 2 diabetes.
In addition, the work reveals a possible link between a certain composition of lipids in the blood and the risk of disease, but further research is needed to understand the underlying processes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
