Peanuts are one of the world’s most loved snacks. They’re crunchy, tasty, and often considered a healthy choice.
But new research from the University of Liverpool suggests that people with cancer may need to be more cautious about eating peanuts.
The reason is a protein found in peanuts called Peanut agglutinin, or PNA. When you eat peanuts, this protein can enter your bloodstream. Researchers found that PNA causes your body to release certain chemicals called cytokines. These cytokines, including IL-6 and MCP-1, can create a problem for people with cancer.
These specific cytokines make the lining of your blood vessels more attractive to cancer cells. This makes it easier for cancer to travel to other parts of the body, which is something patients and doctors try to prevent. In other words, eating peanuts may give cancer cells a smoother ride through your bloodstream.
This isn’t the first time these researchers have studied PNA. In an earlier study, they discovered that PNA behaves like Velcro. It sticks to certain sugar chains mostly found on cancer and pre-cancer cells. This stickiness helps cancer cells clump together and survive in the blood, making it easier for cancer to spread.
So, should you stop eating peanuts completely? Not necessarily. The scientists are not saying peanuts are bad for everyone. For healthy people, peanuts can still be a good snack. But if you have cancer or are recovering from it, you might want to cut back on your peanut intake. It’s something to talk to your doctor about.
The researchers, led by Lu-Gang Yu, say they need to do more research to understand how serious the risk is. We don’t yet know exactly how much peanut eating might increase the risk of cancer spreading. Still, this early finding is something worth paying attention to, especially for cancer patients.
The study was published in a journal called Carcinogenesis. It’s part of ongoing work to better understand how foods and nutrients affect cancer.
We wanted to share this with you in simple language because staying informed helps you make better choices. If you or someone you care about is living with cancer, it may be worth rethinking that daily peanut snack until more research is done.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about Catching the silent killer: a new study on esophageal cancer and findings of New trick knocks out tough guy prostate cancer.
For more about cancer, please read studies about Scientists find important cause of pancreatic cancer and findings of Scientists find a big cause of liver cancer.
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