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Unsuspecting snacking could help support older adults’ brain health, new research suggests.
A small study by researchers at Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, published in the journal Food & Function in September, found that regular peanut consumption could improve the insulin response of memory-related brain regions.
The study included only 31 healthy older adults, and researchers did not determine whether the changes could prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease.
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In addition to regulating blood sugar, insulin helps nerve cells in the brain grow and communicate with each other, which can support overall cognitive function.
According to the study, daily consumption of unsalted, roasted peanuts with the skin had a positive effect on insulin responsiveness in memory-related brain regions in older adults.
Study participants ate 60 grams of unsalted, roasted peanuts with the skin on each day. (iStock)
“This is an interesting study because we increasingly recognize that insulin plays an important role in brain health, not just blood sugar regulation,” Kellyann Niotis, a New York-based preventative neurologist, told Fox News Digital.
“Insulin has important functions in the brain, including promoting communication between brain cells and processes involved in learning and memory.”
“I would not interpret these results as evidence that peanuts prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study involved 31 healthy adults aged 60 to 75 who ate 60 grams, or about two servings, of peanuts per day for 16 weeks.
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Participants could choose what time of day they ate the roasted peanuts with the skin, which came in pre-measured bags.
During a control phase of the study, participants did not eat any peanuts.
The study showed that regular peanut consumption improved insulin responsiveness in participants’ memory-related brain regions. (iStock)
Using MRI scans to measure various aspects of brain health, researchers found that eating peanuts every day for 16 weeks led to about a 4% increase in overall blood flow in the brain.
The researchers also observed improved insulin responsiveness in brain regions linked to memory, including the hippocampus.
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“We know that insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction are associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease,” Niotis said. “What we’re still trying to understand is whether improving insulin signaling specifically in the brain can help prevent or delay AD.”
The study found that consuming about 60 grams of unsalted, roasted peanuts daily for 16 weeks could improve brain responsiveness to insulin in older adults.
Although this study suggests that eating peanuts may promote brain health, a neurologist (not pictured) says there’s more to brain health than eating just one food. (iStock)
“I wouldn’t interpret these results as evidence that peanuts prevent Alzheimer’s disease. And it’s unlikely that a single food will ever have that much power,” Niotis said.
“The strongest nutritional evidence continues to support overall dietary patterns, rather than a particular food.”
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Because it’s a very small study, she added, researchers “don’t yet know whether these changes translate into significant benefits for long-term memory or brain health.”
The research was funded by the Peanut Institute Foundation, which the study says had no role in its design, analysis or publication decisions.
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“I would much rather see someone consistently focus on a Mediterranean-style diet than worry about whether they are eating enough peanuts,” Niotis said.
Gn Health
