both groups received nutrition education from an accredited dietician and were instructed to follow an energy-restricted diet. they were also required to keep their exercise patterns consistent throughout the course of study.
after six months, researchers discovered that both groups experienced a statistically significant amount of weight loss, despite the intervention group consuming an additional 400 calories a day in peanuts. the group that was instructed to eat peanuts lost 14.78 lbs and the group that refrained from eating peanuts lost 14.52 pounds.
the intervention group also experienced a greater reduction in their systolic blood pressure than the control group, a decrease of 5 mmhg — an amount researchers say corresponds to a 10 per cent lower risk of suffering a major cardiovascular event. salty foods usually lead to an increase in blood pressure but, according to peterson, lightly salted peanuts are actually a low-sodium food that contains arginine, an amino acid that dilates blood vessels and helps brings down blood pressure. peanuts also contain magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure, according to the study.
“this randomized trial showed that a peanut-enriched weight loss diet resulted in similar weight loss to a traditional low-fat weight loss diet,” the study concludes. “however, greater systolic blood pressure reductions were observed with the peanut-containing weight loss diet vs. the traditional diet at six months.