Peanut vs. Cashew — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

These nuts are very high in calories. One hundred grams of peanuts contain 567 calories. Cashews are slightly lower in calories, containing 553 in a 100g serving.

Protein

Peanuts are higher in proteins when compared with cashews.

Both contain high levels of all essential amino acids. Peanuts are richer in threonine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, and histidine, while cashews contain more tryptophan, lysine, methionine, and valine.

Fats

Peanut is richer in fats than cashew. 

Peanuts and cashews are high in healthy fats, containing large amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Even though peanuts are higher in fats, cashews contain more saturated fatty acids.

Both of these foods do not contain cholesterol.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Peanut

3

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 6.279 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 24.426 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 15.558 g

Cashew

0

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 7.783 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 23.797 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 7.845 g

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat	-19.3%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat	+98.3%

~equal in Monounsaturated Fat ~23.797g

Carbohydrates

Cashews contain almost twice the amount of carbohydrates peanuts do. However, peanuts are richer in fiber.

The main components of the carbohydrates found in cashews, other than fiber, are starch and sucrose. Cashews also contain very low amounts of glucose and fructose.

Fiber

Nuts are popular sources of dietary fiber. Peanuts contain 5.2g more fiber than cashews. 

Peanuts are especially rich in insoluble fiber (2). 

Cardiovascular Health

Research has consistently shown that nut consumption correlates with a decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases and coronary heart disease. Additionally, peanuts have been associated with a lower risk of stroke. However, peanut butter and tree nuts, such as cashews, have not been associated, positively or adversely, with the risk of stroke (9).

Regular peanut consumption lowers serum triglyceride levels and increases serum magnesium concentrations (10). These effects may be partially responsible for the lowered cardiovascular disease risk.

Peanut intake has also been found to improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure (11).

However, a study shows that cashew consumption may lower the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood flow, resulting in a lower risk of atherosclerosis development (12).

Overall, even though both foods have positive effects, peanuts are better studied and may have a stronger beneficial influence on cardiovascular health.

Diabetes

Peanuts and cashews both have very low glycemic indices. However, peanuts tend to have a lower glycemic index.

Higher nut and peanut butter consumption has been found to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in women (13).

The anti-diabetic effect of peanuts can be due to their ability to lower fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels, as they are high in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants (14).

Daily consumption of cashews can lower serum insulin levels and the low-density lipoprotein to high-density lipoprotein ratio, lowering the atherogenic index in patients with type 2 diabetes (15).

Cashew supplementation has also lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in diabetic subjects without expressing adverse effects on body weight, glycemia, or lipid profile (16).

The extract of cashew seed has also demonstrated significant anti-diabetic effects by increasing plasma membrane glucose transporters, resulting in elevated glucose uptake (17).

Cancer

Several studies have found an association between nut consumption and reduced cancer risk through inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis induction of the cancer cells (18).

Due to certain nutrients found in peanuts, namely phytosterols and resveratrol, these nuts have been researched to have positive effects on reducing the risk of breast, colon, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers (19, 20).

Cashews may have anticarcinogenic effects on ovarian and prostate, liver, breast, and colon, as well as esophageal and gastric cancers (21, 22, 23, 24).

Allergic Reactions

Peanut allergy is one of the most common allergies found in children. Peanut allergy symptoms include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps, difficulty breathing, coughing, swelling, and in the worst cases, anaphylactic shock. Recent findings have found that peanut allergies are not necessarily constant and can be outgrown in time (25).

Cashew allergy is less common but expresses itself in similar symptoms. A person with a cashew allergy should avoid eating pistachios as well, as cross-reactivity is common between these two nuts (26). 

Cancer Risk and Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by some fungi that can be found on agricultural crops, such as peanuts and cashews, among other things. Aflatoxin poisoning can significantly increase the risk of liver cancer. In order to avoid aflatoxin exposure, the production of nuts has to be regulated, and moldy, discolored, or shriveled nuts should be discarded (27).

Cashew Nut Shell

Raw cashews in their shells produce a toxin called urushiol, which can cause allergic reactions or skin irritation. However, store-bought cashews are safe to consume, as they have undergone processing to remove this toxin completely.