Peanut is a common food in life, which can not only satisfy people's appetite, but also be beneficial to health. Previous studies have shown that moderate consumption of peanuts is related to lowering blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and reducing chronic inflammation, thus helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Recently, a study published in the journal Stroke of the American Heart Association (AHA) adds new evidence to the cardiovascular health benefits of eating peanuts regularly. The results show that eating 4-5 peanuts a day is related to reducing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Professor Satoyo Ikehara of Osaka University, the first author of the study, said: "Our study found for the first time that moderate consumption of peanuts is related to the lower risk of ischemic stroke in Asians, but the habit of eating peanuts and tree nuts is still uncommon in Asian countries. Adding a small amount of peanuts to the diet may be a simple and effective way to prevent cardiovascular diseases. "
The researchers analyzed the data from the JPHC study in Japan, including 74,793 subjects aged between 45 and 74, of whom 53.4% were women.
At the beginning of the study, the basic health information such as age, sex, height and weight of the subjects were counted. Family history and treatment history information of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes; And the smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, consumption and frequency of 138 kinds of foods and drinks including peanuts. In addition, the incidence information of cardiovascular diseases during the follow-up period was collected.
Statistics show that subjects who eat more peanuts tend to be younger, have lower prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, do not smoke, and often participate in sports activities.
During the average follow-up period of nearly 15 years, there were 3599 new strokes (hemorrhagic stroke 1376, ischemic stroke 2223) and 849 ischemic heart diseases.
After adjusting for other confounding factors, the study found that higher consumption of peanuts was associated with lower risk of stroke, especially ischemic stroke.
Compared with the subjects who don't eat peanuts, the subjects who eat 4-5 peanuts every day have a lower risk of stroke 16%, an ischemic stroke risk of 20% and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease 13%. There is no significant correlation between eating peanuts and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic heart disease.
The researchers analyzed that peanuts also contain a variety of substances beneficial to cardiovascular health, such as unsaturated fatty acids, especially monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help to improve blood lipids, lower blood pressure levels, control blood sugar and inhibit inflammation, thus helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, other nutrients contained in peanuts, such as magnesium, dietary fiber, folic acid and vitamin E, may also play a beneficial role in reducing the risk of hypertension and stroke.
Because this study is an observational study, it only shows the correlation between moderate consumption of peanuts and reducing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, but does not show causality. In addition, there are some limitations in this study, including that the consumption of peanuts depends on the memory of the subjects; The processing method of peanuts, whether fried or boiled, with or without sugar, is not considered; It may have an impact on the research results. It is necessary to carry out further research in the future to explore the influence of different processing methods of peanuts on the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The American Heart Association recommends eating salt-free nuts every week. Besides peanuts, other healthy nuts include salt-free cashews, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. In the Dietary Guidelines for China Residents (20 16), it is also recommended to eat nuts in moderation as a beneficial supplement to the daily diet, and it is recommended to eat 50g-70g every week.
Finally, the study emphasizes that peanuts are good for health, but should not be eaten in excess. Peanut contains high fat, and excessive consumption will increase the risk of diseases such as acne and obesity. In addition, to prevent the occurrence of stroke, we can't just eat peanuts.
Stroke is a disease caused by lifestyle, environment, heredity and other factors. In view of variable factors, including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, heart disease, smoking, drinking, diet, overweight or obesity, lack of physical activity and psychological factors, comprehensive management can better prevent the occurrence of stroke.
Specifically, if you want to prevent the occurrence of stroke, you should also do the following in your daily life:
Control blood pressure. Through the change of medicine and lifestyle, the blood pressure is reduced to below 140/80 mm Hg; People over the age of 30 should have their blood pressure measured at least 1 time every year; People with high normal blood pressure (systolic blood pressure 120- 139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure 80-89 mmHg) should advocate a healthy lifestyle and conduct hypertension screening every year.
Control blood sugar. If necessary, regularly detect blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin or glucose tolerance test, identify diabetes or pre-diabetes as soon as possible, and treat it in time; Diabetic patients should change their unhealthy lifestyle, control their diet, strengthen exercise, and take oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin when necessary to control glycosylated hemoglobin below 7.0%.
Control blood lipids. Men over 40 years old and postmenopausal women should have blood lipid tests every year; Blood lipids can be detected regularly (3-6 months) in people with high risk of stroke; Follow the advice of medical staff and control blood lipid with drugs on time.
Prevent heart disease. It is recommended that adults have regular physical examinations to detect heart disease in time; When you suspect that you have a heart disease, you should find a doctor for confirmation and treatment in time.
Quit smoking. Smokers should quit smoking through psychological counseling, nicotine replacement therapy and oral smoking cessation drugs; Non-smokers should also avoid passive smoking.
No drinking. People who drink alcohol should give up drinking; At present, there is not enough evidence to show that a small amount of drinking can reduce the risk of stroke, so it is best not to drink at all.
Eat healthily. Diversified diet, reasonable intake of energy and nutrition; Increase the intake of whole grains, beans, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, and reduce the intake of saturated fat and trans fat; Reduce sodium intake, increase potassium intake, and the daily intake of salt should not exceed 6g.
Lose weight. Overweight and obese people should reduce their weight through healthy lifestyle, good eating habits, regular exercise and other measures to control their weight within a healthy range.
Exercise regularly. It is suggested to carry out aerobic exercise with a duration of not less than 30 minutes per exercise, not less than 150 minutes per week and above moderate intensity (the heart rate reaches 120 times per minute during exercise), such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling and swimming, supplemented by muscle strengthening (resistance training); For people who mainly sit still in their daily work, it is recommended to have a short physical activity (2-3 minutes) every 1 hour.
Maintain mental health. Carry out stress management, relieve overwork and life pressure, maintain a happy mood and reduce negative emotions. When necessary, psychotherapy combined with drug therapy can be taken to relieve anxiety and depression.
Research among the dead from 32 countries shows that 90.7% of the global stroke is related to the above-mentioned 10 intervenible risk factors; In China, the above-mentioned 10 intervention risk factors are related to 94.3% of stroke. If people can do the above measures in daily life, it will greatly reduce the occurrence of stroke and promote the improvement of health.