Daily peanuts improve brain blood flow: study
Researchers at the NUTRIM Institute, Maastricht University Medical Center, report that eating 60 grams of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts daily for 16 weeks increased global cerebral blood flow by 3.6% and modestly improved verbal memory in healthy adults aged 60–75. The randomized crossover trial, published in Clinical Nutrition, used MRI to assess brain perfusion and found the largest effects in frontal and temporal lobes, with small reductions in systolic and pulse pressure; other cognitive domains showed no meaningful change.
📌 Key Facts
- Randomized crossover trial (n=31; ages 60–75) with 16-week peanut phase, 8-week washout, and no-peanut phase.
- MRI-measured global cerebral blood flow increased 3.6%; verbal memory improved by ~5.8%.
- Peanuts (unsalted, skin-roasted) contain L‑arginine, unsaturated fats, fiber, and polyphenols; authors cited vascular mechanisms; sample size was small.