10 Facts About... Peanut Butter

In our next installment of 10 Facts About…, we highlight the health benefits of peanut butter, as well as some cool facts! Enjoy, eat right, and most importantly – Be Well!

• Peanut Butter is heart-healthy

If you eat at least 1 ounce of peanut butter each day, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 25%.

• Peanut Butter may fight cancer

Interestingly, peanut butter has a high content of Resveratrol, a substance that’s been shown to have very strong anti-cancer properties. Peanut butter has also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colo-rectal cancer.

• Peanut butter promotes good cholesterol

The rich Folate and Niacin (vitamin B3) content in peanut butter has been shown to help increase HDL levels (good cholesterol) by as much as 30% in people.

• Peanut butter is high in protein and beneficial minerals

In peanut butter, proteins are present in high amounts – about 24% of weight – together with very important micro-nutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and large amounts of beneficial minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium.

• Peanut butter protects against Alzheimer’s Disease

According to The Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the Niacin contained in peanuts, when eaten regularly, provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease. The study was performed on 3,000 elderly men (65 or older) from Chicago, who were interviewed about their diet and subsequently tested for cognitive skills: those getting 22mg of Niacin each day were 70% less likely to have developed Alzheimer’s disease than those consuming only 13mg each day.

• Americans eat tons of peanuts

Each American consumes roughly six pounds of peanuts and peanut products each year, with the entire country consuming more than 600 million total pounds.

• Peanut butter is all around you

Peanut butter is consumed consistently in roughly 89% of American households, and it is the most popular use of peanuts in America.

• Peanut butter recently turned 100 years old

Peanut butter was first introduced at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904 by C.H. Sumner, who sold more than $700 worth of the new treat; coincidentally, the patent for peanut butter was first awarded in 1895.

• Peanut farms are highly-concentrated

One acre of peanuts on a peanut farm can produce roughly 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

• Peanut butter has roots in the South

More than 60% of the peanuts grown in the United States originate in Alabama, Georgia, or Florida. More than half of those are used to make peanut butter.