Peanuts could help prevent gallstones

22/07/05 One in 12 Americans has gallstones, according to the National Institutes of Health, and a majority of those suffering are women who will require gallbladder surgery.

Just as too-high cholesterol levels can lead to blood vessel-clogging sludge, they also can create painful gallbladder-plugging stones. Gallstones block the release of bile from the gallbladder, and the resulting backup can be painful.

According to recent research from Harvard Medical School, help to curb gallstones in women might be as simple as reaching for peanuts.

The healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts that help control blood cholesterol might also help prevent gallstones and the need for gallbladder surgery, researchers say. They found that among 81,000 women followed over 20 years, 7,800 had had their gallbladders removed because of stones.

Women who ate 5 or more ounces of peanuts, peanut butter or other nuts per week were 25 percent less likely to have undergone gallbladder surgery than women who rarely or never ate nuts.

“Peanuts are a good source of calcium and fiber, which are both very important for women,” said Marcia S. Davis, women’s health clinical nurse practitioner for the Virginia Women’s Health Center. “Pregnant women are also at a particular risk of gallstone formation. Peanuts are a terrific source of protein when pregnant, and may help offshoot the increased risk of stone formation.”

In 2003, Virginia farmers harvested 33,000 acres of peanuts that generated $21.6 million in cash receipts.

http://www.vafb.com/news/2005/july/072105_4.htm