Peanuts cut Type 2 diabetes risk, hunger

They're inexpensive, they're childhood lunchbox staples, and now a new study indicates that peanut butter and peanuts, when eaten for breakfast, can curb hunger and control blood sugar levels throughout the day.

The small study, published this month in the British Journal of Nutrition, involved 15 obese women with high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The findings, researchers say, are promising because peanuts and peanut butter may help overweight people control their appetites. And the foods, which are already common worldwide, aid in keeping blood sugars stable - something that's important to a population at risk for Type 2 diabetes.

The scientists tested the dietary effects of peanuts and peanut butter in three phases. In one phase, the women ate 1.5 ounces of peanuts for breakfast, along with orange juice and Cream of Wheat cereal. In another phase, the same women substituted 3 tablespoons of peanut butter for the peanuts. The third, the "control phase," was given just the juice and cereal.

When the women ate peanuts or peanut butter, they reported a lower-than-usual desire to eat for up to 12 hours after breakfast. The women's blood samples revealed that when they ate peanuts and peanut butter, their production of an appetite-suppressing hormone called peptide YY increased.

Blood sugar levels, which naturally rise as the body digests food after meals, did not rise as much after breakfasts that included peanuts and peanut butter. And although the women didn't eat peanut products at lunch, their blood sugar levels didn't rise as much as usual after that midday meal.

Peanut butter yielded slightly better results than whole peanuts. But, in both cases, researchers credit peanuts' high levels of protein and healthy fats for their ability to stave off hunger. Peanuts have about 8 grams of protein per ounce - the highest of any nut.