A Functional Food: Peanut and its Health Benefits

Abstract

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), which is one of the oilseed plants, is a fruit type that draws attention due to its nutritional content and positive effects on human health. Peanut contain all 20 amino acids in different proportions and is one of the best sources of arginine, an important amino acid. Scientific research in recent years on the effects of peanuts on human health has proven that unsaturated fatty acids in peanuts play an important role in preventing many diseases, including obesity. There are also studies showing the beneficial effect of peanuts on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases because they contain high arginine, vitamin E, flavonoids and phytosterols levels. Recently, peanut membrane has also gained popularity, and it is stated that it may exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and prevent inflammation related diseases because of its high content of catechin and procyanidin. In this review, nutritional content of peanuts and their relationship with some diseases were investigated. © The Author(s) 2020.