Popular snack may help support brain health in older adults, new study finds
An unsuspecting snack could help support brain health in older adults, 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 eating peanuts regularly may improve how the brain's memory-related regions respond to insulin.The study involved just 31 healthy older adults, and researchers did not determine whether the changes could prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease.POPULAR FOODS AMERICANS EAT EVERY DAY LINKED TO SILENT BRAIN DAMAGE, ALARMING STUDY FINDSIn addition to regulating blood sugar, insulin helps nerve cells in the brain to grow and communicate with each other, which in turn can support overall cognitive function.Consuming unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts every day positively affected insulin responsiveness in memory-related brain regions in older adults, the study found.Study participants ate 60 grams of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts each day.(iStock)"This is an interesting study because we're increasingly recognizing that insulin plays an important role in brain health, not just blood sugar regulation," Kellyann Niotis, a New York-based preventive neurologist, told Fox News Digital.
"Insulin has important functions in the brain, including supporting communication between brain cells and the processes involved in learning and memory.""I would not interpret these findings as evidence that peanuts prevent Alzheimer's."The study involved 31 healthy adults between the ages of 60 and 75 who ate 60 grams, or around two servings, of peanuts daily for 16 weeks.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERParticipants could choose what time of day they ate the skin-roasted peanuts, which were provided in premeasured packets.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.(iSt...