Incorporating three tablespoons of peanut butter daily could enhance muscle strength in seniors, according to a new study. Conducted by researchers in Melbourne, Australia, this investigation revealed that participants consuming a 43g serving of peanut butter each day completed a sit-to-stand test more swiftly than those maintaining their regular diet. Throughout the six-month study, individuals increased their energy and unsaturated fat intake without experiencing weight gain.

Dr. Sze-Yen Tan, the study’s lead and a nutrition expert at Deakin University, explained, “A quicker completion of the test signifies enhanced muscle power. This muscle power is crucial for older adults to carry out daily tasks like climbing stairs and rising from chairs. Such improvements can also lower the risk of falls, a frequent cause of losing independence, diminished life quality, and even early mortality.”

The study included 120 independent adults aged between 66 and 89. Participants undertook a sit-to-stand test, which required them to rise from a chair with arms crossed over their chest as rapidly as possible.

Participants who added peanut butter to their diets showed better performance in this particular test. However, no similar gains were observed in other evaluations such as gait speed, stepping, and a task requiring standing, walking around a cone, and sitting again.

Published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, the study indicated that the benefits of increased peanut butter intake were primarily linked to improved muscle power.

The researchers noted, “Evidence suggests that muscle power diminishes more rapidly and significantly than muscle strength and mass as we age.”

“Our findings in muscle power are also clinically important because low relative muscle power is an indicator of mobility limitation, and it has been linked to greater odds of self‐reported walking difficulty.

“Recent findings further indicate that the dynamic nature of muscle power is more crucial for survival and independence than maximal strength. Therefore, an improvement in muscle power documented in our study is of clinical importance.”

Dr Tan said a regular dose of peanut butter could be used alongside resistance training to enhance muscle power.

He added: “Peanut butter, which is a naturally rich source of nutrients, including protein and healthy fats, can be an accessible, affordable and palatable alternative to commercial oral nutrition supplements.

“More importantly, peanut butter is familiar to most people, including seniors, and the butter form makes it suitable for those with dentition issues who might struggle to eat whole nuts.”

The research was funded by The Peanut Butter Institute Foundation, which had no role in the study design, implementation, analysis or data interpretation.