A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at type of fat intakes among men diagnosed with prostate cancer from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2010). Results indicated that higher intakes of vegetable fat decreased the risk of death from all causes and increased intake of saturated and trans fat increased the risk of death. Nuts were included in the top sources of vegetable fat in the study, and results showed that increasing nut intake as little as a 1-ounce serving per day, decreased the risk of death from all causes by 11% and decreased the risk of death from prostate cancer by 18%. Because peanuts and peanut butter account for about two-thirds of all nuts eaten in the U.S., it is likely that they were a large portion of the nut consumption examined in the study. Also, as a plant-based fat source, peanuts are packed full of healthy oils, are low in saturated fat and contain zero trans fat, making them an excellent choice to increase vegetable fat intake. Click here to read more about how a handful of peanuts a day can decrease your risk of many chronic diseases.