November 11, 2026, 4:30 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Peanuts are a popular snack. However, with a fat content of around 50 percent, they are also high in calories. A study now shows that consuming peanut products positively changes the composition of blood lipids. Peanuts could even reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Many often wonder: What is actually a healthy snack? Just as often, the answer is: nuts. And the most affordable form of them is peanuts, which technically belong to the legume family. In fact, peanuts contain a lot of protein (about 25 percent) as well as vitamins B, E, magnesium, and fiber. However, one must never forget: They also have about 50 percent fat. So, if you consume 100 grams of them, you are also taking in 50 grams of fat. But now researchers in a new study have found that peanuts have a positive effect on our blood lipid levels and could even lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.1
What is the study about?
Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) and the University of Barcelona aimed to answer two questions with their study:
- How does the consumption of peanut products change the composition of fats circulating in the blood?
- Do people with such a blood lipid pattern later have a different risk for type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular diseases?
This was not simply about classic lab values like total cholesterol or triglycerides, but about the so-called lipidome. This refers to the multitude of different fat molecules in the blood. Special interest was given to lipids with very long-chain saturated fatty acids found in peanuts. The researchers wanted to examine the connection between diet, measurable metabolic changes, and later diseases.
How did the researchers proceed?
To answer the questions, the researchers evaluated two different studies and combined the results. These included a small dietary intervention and a larger observational study that answered different questions.
The first study (ARISTOTLE) was a dietary intervention over six months. Sixty-three healthy young adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups. They received the following foods daily:
- Group: 25 grams of roasted peanuts with skin
- Group: 32 grams of peanut butter
- Group: 32 grams of a spread with peanut oil
Before and after the study, lipids in blood plasma were measured using high-resolution mass spectrometry. This revealed 51 fatty acid patterns within the lipid classes studied. From this, the researchers derived a specific biological fingerprint in the blood lipid profile: the so-called “Peanut Lipidomic Signature” (PeLS).
The second study involved the prospective EPIC-Potsdam cohort with 27,548 participants. Prospective means that blood samples were taken from participants at the start of the long-term study. Researchers then tracked which participants developed type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases over time. The evaluation revealed 774 cases of type 2 diabetes and 547 cases of cardiovascular diseases. The researchers then examined whether there was a connection between the identified lipid pattern and the risk of disease.
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Impact of peanuts on type 2 diabetes risk
The data analysis showed that regular consumption of peanuts changed the fatty acid pattern in the blood. This involved 51 fatty acid patterns within the individual lipid classes. The key was the change in the composition of circulating fats in the blood, not the quantity.
The researchers found that the identified lipid pattern (Peanut Lipidomic Signature) was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. A more pronounced lipid pattern was linked to an approximately 11 percent lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes. For cardiovascular disease risk, the researchers found no clear connection between peanut consumption and the likelihood of disease. Additionally, the scientists discovered that body mass index (BMI)–specifically weight loss–could explain a large part of the connection between the specific peanut lipid signature and type 2 diabetes risk. Mathematically, the portion explained by BMI was 89 percent.
The researchers point out that this does not prove that peanuts lead to weight loss (and lower BMI) and thus prevent diabetes. The analysis merely shows that the observed connection between the lipid pattern and type 2 diabetes was closely linked to BMI. A causal sequence cannot be derived from this.
Conclusion and limitations of the study
The study shows a statistical connection between peanut consumption and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. More frequent consumption of peanuts correlated with a positive change in the blood lipid pattern toward more long-chain saturated fatty acids. These, in turn, are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. However, a reduced BMI due to peanut consumption could also influence the type 2 diabetes risk. There is still plenty of room for further research to verify and better understand the results.
It must be considered that the results were derived from the combination of two studies. It is not a randomized study where peanut consumption is directly tested against a suitable control group for new diabetes cases. The study authors point out that the observational data do not allow for causal conclusions. The influence of other foods consumed simultaneously on the lipid changes in participants cannot be ruled out.
Also noteworthy: The ARISTOTLE dietary study used in the evaluation was financially supported by the American “Peanut Institute Foundation.” However, the study authors state that this had no influence on their work and the associated study results.