Can Peanuts Be Good for Older Brain Health?

Getting older and concerned about your brain’s health? You may want to grab a handful of peanuts. Yes, peanuts — they may benefit cognitive performance.

A study from Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that eating unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts every day improved insulin responsiveness in certain brain regions of older adults.

The research, conducted through the Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), appeared in Food & Function.

Insulin helps regulate blood sugar, but it also has an important job in the brain.

It supports the growth and survival of nerve cells and helps them communicate, which is essential for memory and other thinking skills.

Healthy insulin activity may also help protect the brain against changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The brain can become less responsive to insulin with age. This change has been linked to declining cognitive abilities.

The findings suggest that eating peanuts regularly could help maintain insulin activity in memory-related brain regions.

Daily Peanuts and Memory Improvement

The study involved 31 healthy adults between 60 and 75.

Participants ate 60 grams of peanuts each day, equivalent to about two servings, for 16 weeks.

Researchers used a randomized, controlled crossover design. This allowed them to compare the effects of eating peanuts with those of avoiding them.

The results build on earlier research, published in 2025. That study found that eating peanuts for 16 weeks increased cerebral blood flow by 3.6% and improved verbal memory by 5.8%.

Cerebral blood flow refers to the amount of blood moving through the brain.

This blood supplies brain cells with oxygen and nutrients.

It also provides information about the condition of the brain’s blood vessels. The earlier findings were published in Clinical Nutrition.

How Researchers Measured Brain Changes

They used arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to measure blood flow in different brain regions.

To assess insulin responsiveness, researchers examined changes in regional blood flow after administering insulin through the nose.

Abdominal MRI scans were also used to measure fat stored in the liver, known as intrahepatic lipid content.

Participants completed computerized cognitive tests using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).

Why Peanuts May Benefit the Brain

Peanuts contain unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and bioactive plant compounds.

They also provide plant-based protein and are especially rich in L-arginine.

L-arginine helps the body produce nitric oxide, a compound that may support learning and memory.

Researchers supplied participants with premeasured packets of skin-roasted peanuts to keep daily portions consistent.

Participants could eat their peanuts in the morning or afternoon.

They could finish the entire serving at once, spread it throughout the day or add it to meals.

During the control period of this study, participants avoided peanuts completely.

After 16 weeks, they switched to the other dietary condition. This allowed researchers to compare brain measurements after eating peanuts with measurements taken while avoiding them.

Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health. 

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