Discussion
The objective of the study was to determine the effects of feeding walnuts and peanuts on AOM induced aberrant
crypt foci in Fisher 344 rats. Research involving the chemopreventive potential of peanuts and walnuts is
limited. Aside from a major study in Taiwan [17], as well as a few other experiments with walnuts, the research
conducted using nuts on colon cancer is scarce. Walnuts and peanuts contain a vast amount of phytochemicals
that are beneficial to healthy cell growth and maintaining proper immune functions. It is important to note that
the phytochemical compounds found in these two nuts may work in synergy.
Observations made in this study showed a decrease in the number of ACF in rats fed walnuts and peanuts
compared to those fed the control diet. Rats fed the control diet had a significantly higher number of ACF, indicating
that feeding walnuts and peanuts at selected levels (5% and 10%) reduced the incidence of ACF in the rat
model when compared to rats fed a control diet. Rats fed the 5% peanut diet showed over a 60% reduction in ACF development in both the proximal and distal colons compared to rats fed the control. Much of this may be
attributed to the phytochemical make up of these nuts and the anti-proliferative effects they impart. This effect
was also seen in crypt multiplicity as well as total number of crypts which is a reliable indicator as it takes into
account the number of ACF and crypt multiplicity. ACF are well known precursors to tumor incidence. Rats fed
the control diet had a higher number of larger crypts (≥3) compared to rats fed walnuts and peanuts. However,
smaller crypts (