The diet, know as DASH for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, has less than 30% calories from fat, 8 to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, 7 to 8 servings of grain per day, 2 to 3 servings of low or non-fat dairy products per day, 2 or fewer servings of meat per day, and 4 to 5 servings of nuts and legumes per week.

In just two weeks the study participants' blood pressure dropped an average of 11.4 points systolic (the high number) and 5.5 points diastolic (the low number) and they maintained the drop throughout the study.

In the study, financed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 459 men and women with mild hypertension followed the DASH diet for 8 weeks. The researchers did not lower salt or alcohol consumption and did not change the participants' physical activity level. In addition, the participants' caloric intake was adjusted to keep their weight stable, even if they were overweight, so any lowered blood pressure could not be attributed to weight loss. Participants took no pressure-lowering drugs or vitamin/mineral supplements.

The diet does not call for any drugs or vitamins and should be relatively easy to follow. In fact, the biggest complaint among study participants was they were full before they had eaten their whole meal since researchers were trying to maintain the participants' weight and this diet provides more bulk in the way of fresh fruits, vegetables and grains. An average person following this diet might be inclined to eat less and lose weight.

Conveniently, the DASH diet is similar to diets shown to reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease. So, drink your milk, eat your fruits and vegetables and snack on peanuts and peanut butter 4 to 5 times per week for your health!

Monounsatured Fat May Protect Against Breast Cancer

Monounsatured fat can cut in half a woman's risk for breast cancer, according to an article in the January 12, 1998 issue of the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Alicja Wolk, Ph.D., from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, studied 61,471 women between the ages of 40 and 76 from 1987 to 1990. Data were collected on the participants' eating habits and their other risk factors for breast cancer. The Swedish Cancer Registry reported who among the group developed breast cancer during the study period.

The researchers found that monounsaturated fat reduced the risk of breast cancer by 45%, polyunsaturated fat increased the risk by 69% and saturated fat had no association.

There is growing evidence that monounsaturated fat might be protective against breast cancer. Many of the studies have focused on olive oil and the Mediterranean diet and found a decreased risk of breast cancer. This study is important because it found that the protective benefit lies with monounsaturated fats as a category, rather than specifically with olive oil.

While the study doesn't specifically mention it, peanut oil has 6.3g of monounsaturated fat (4.3g polyunsaturated) compared to 10g monounsaturated (1.1g polyunsaturated) in olive oil and 8g monounsaturated (4g polyunsaturated) in canola oil.

The Skinny on Fat

Peanut butter, like most foods, contains some fat. Fortunately, 80% of the fat in peanut butter is unsaturated fat -- "the good fat" -- which may actually help lower LDL-cholesterol levels in your blood. In fact, because peanut butter is so versatile, good tasting and nutritious, it is included in many medically endorsed weight loss and diabetic diets.

Fat, the most concentrated source of energy in your diet, is a vital nutrient. It provides essential fatty acids, helps maintain skin, and carries many fat soluble vitamins such as A, D and E. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fat is the culprit that can raise the cholesterol level in your blood. This type of fat is found mainly in animal foods such as meats and whole-fat milk and cheeses. The American Heart Association recommends that saturated fat intake should be less than 10% of the total daily intake of calories. Peanut butter contains only 3 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Unsaturated fat is the type of fat that, when used to replace saturated fat in the diet, can help lower LDL-cholesterol levels (the "bad" type of cholesterol) without lowering HDL-cholesterol (the "good" type of cholesterol). Peanut butter contains both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. Nearly 80% of the fat contained in peanut butter is unsaturated.

Cholesterol is found only in animal products. Peanut butter is naturally cholesterol-free.

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids formed when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated to make the fat more solid. A very small amount of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is added to regular peanut butter to keep the oil from separating out, to increase the shelf life and to create a creamier peanut butter.

While the small amount of hydrogenated oil in regular peanut butter hardly warrants mention, consumers wishing to avoid it can always select a natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butters do not contain partially hydrogenated oil.

Transfats

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids formed when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated. Hydrogenation makes the fats more solid or into a more stable liquid. Trans fats also occur naturally in low amounts in meat and dairy products.
Trans fats account for 2% - 4% of the total calories in the American diet — compared with 12% saturated fat and 34% from total fat. Naturally occurring trans fats in animal products accounts for approximately one-fifth of the trans fats consumed.

Are Trans Fats Listed on the Nutrition Facts Label?
There is currently no provision for the listing of trans fats on the nutrition facts label. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a proposed rule for including trans fat on the nutrition label.

Why Are Trans Fats Used?
Hydrogenated oils are used as a replacement for fats higher in saturated fat and/or to improve the freshness and texture of foods. Hydrogenated oils resist rancidity longer than un-hydrogenated oils which increases the shelf life of products that contain them. They also allow for taste and texture improvements such as flakier pie crusts, crisper crackers and spreadable margarine.

Does Peanut Butter Have Partially Hydrogenated Oils?
Regular peanut butter does contain a tiny, tiny amount (far less than 1%) of partially hydrogenated oil. It keeps the oil from separating out of the peanut butter and rising to the top of the jar, makes the peanut butter creamier, and dramatically increases the shelf life of the peanut butter.

The resulting amount of trans fat in regular peanut butter is so small that, under the proposed FDA labeling guidelines for trans fats, the peanut butter labels will list 0 trans fats. The proposed FDA rule indicates that trans fat amounts of less than .5g cannot be accurately measured and will be listed on the label as 0.

However, natural peanut butters do not contain partially hydrogenated oils. There are a number of natural peanut butters on the market, so consumers who wish to completely avoid partially hydrogenated oils can still enjoy peanut butter. The peanut oil will rise to the top. Simply stir it back in before using.

Why the Concern Over Trans Fats?
Recent research has suggested a link between increased LDL-cholesterol levels and trans fats. While there is still research to be done to prove a cause-effect relationship for trans fats, there is no question that saturated fats do raise LDL-cholesterol levels. Therefore, nutritionists generally do not recommend substituting foods higher in saturated fats for foods with trans fats.

Increased LDL-cholesterol levels are one risk factor in heart disease. Remember, though, that there are many other factors involved such as maintaining a healthy weight, leading a physically-active life, diabetes, high blood pressure, gender, age and heredity.

The best advice from nutritionists is still to lower the overall fat in your diet to no more than 30% of your daily calories and the saturated fat in your diet to no more than 10% of your daily calories. Reducing the overall fat in your diet will naturally lead to lower saturated and trans fat intake as well.

Peanut Butter Is Good For You
Peanut butter is nutritious as well as delicious! Peanut butter is a good source of protein, vitamin E, niacin, phosphorus and magnesium. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich provides 18% of the daily folic acid intake recommended to help reduce birth defects and heart disease.

Peanut butter, like most foods, contains some fat. Fortunately, 80% of the fat in peanut butter is unsaturated fat — "the good fat" — which may actually help lower LDL-cholesterol levels in your blood. In fact, because peanut butter is so versatile, good tasting and nutritious, it is included in many medically endorsed weight loss and diabetic diets.