Absorption of Whole Peanuts, Peanut Oil, and Peanut Butter

Year Published: 1980

Nutr Cancer

Levine AS, Silvis SE

This small study included 10 healthy persons who were given either a high-fiber or low-fiber diet with peanuts, peanut butter, or peanut oil. The objective was to evaluate the absorption of fat across the three different forms, and to see if fiber content affected fat absorption.

Key Findings: Peanut butter resulted in less fat excretion than whole peanuts, although across all the forms, between 4.5% to 17.8% of the fat was not absorbed, which contributes to a loss of energy. The authors also describe that the extent of mastication may play a role in this.