# Unsalted peanuts for 16 weeks linked to higher brain insulin responsiveness in older adults

- Published: 2026-11-10 20:40 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Neurotechnology
- Tags: peanuts and memory, brain insulin responsiveness, older adults nutrition trial, hippocampus insulin, skin-roasted peanuts, Food & Function, Maastricht University Medical Center, NCT05724654
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-2e7783460c24babd1013720d_unsalted_peanuts_for/

**Imaging in older adults showed a change in brain insulin responsiveness in memory-related regions after 16 weeks of peanut intake; blood markers of glucose and lipids did not change.**

![Unsalted peanuts for 16 weeks linked to higher brain insulin responsiveness in older adults](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/60238860f6b06f06.webp)
*science-et-vie.com*

Lucia Kerkhof and Peter Joris, working at Maastricht University Medical Center, reported in Food & Function that 16 weeks of unsalted, skin-roasted peanut consumption had a potentially beneficial effect on regional brain insulin responsiveness in older adults [1]. The participants were healthy adults without diabetes. Brain insulin responsiveness was assessed with MRI, and each volunteer went through a period with peanuts and a period without them. The authors describe the result as preliminary and in need of confirmation.

## Memory-related brain regions

Imaging identified a cluster of measurement points in the right hemisphere. With Harvard-Oxford atlas localization, the highest average probabilities were for the lingual gyrus (20%), hippocampus (14%), parahippocampal gyrus (11%), thalamus (2%) and posterior cingulate gyrus (1%) [1]. Several of these structures are involved in memory.

Intrahepatic lipid content and circulating markers of glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism and low-grade systemic inflammation remained unchanged [1]. Insulin sensitivity in the rest of the body did not shift either, so the change was seen in the brain alone.

## Context and limits

In the brain, insulin helps neurons communicate and takes part in memory formation. With age, nerve cells respond to it less well, a decline that specialists link to cognitive decline. The authors suggest that the observed response may contribute to the cognitive benefits of peanut intake in this population that were noted earlier in the same trial [1].

Possible contributors named in the report on the study include L-arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide, polyphenols from the roasted skin, unsaturated fats, fibre and magnesium. The trial did not isolate which component is responsible.

The sample consisted only of healthy volunteers, so the work does not allow conclusions about preventing Alzheimer's disease. Salted or coated peanuts were not tested. The researchers plan to repeat the experiment in people who already report memory complaints. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05724654 [1].

## Sources

1. [Food & Function](https://doi.org/10.1039/D6FO03208G)
2. [science-et-vie.com](https://www.science-et-vie.com/cerveau-et-intelligence/les-personnes-agees-devraient-manger-des-cacahuetes-tous-les-jours-elles-aideraient-a-ameliorer-la-memoire-et-lapprentissage-en-vieillissant-265507.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-2e7783460c24babd1013720d_unsalted_peanuts_for/