Peanuts have long been a favorite snack, cherished for their delightful taste and convenient munchability. But beyond their flavor, peanuts offer some unexpected health advantages you might not be aware of.

A recent investigation by Dutch scientists highlights that consuming approximately 60 unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts daily for four months significantly boosts blood flow to key areas of the brain, specifically the frontal and temporal lobes. This enhanced circulation, termed global cerebral blood flow, is linked to improved cognitive functions, such as the ability to recall spoken or written information. The study was conducted at Maastricht University Medical Center, involving participants aged 60 to 75, who responded to a university advertisement.

Researchers monitored participants’ blood pressure and weight at the beginning, midpoint, and conclusion of the study.

Results showed a 3.6% increase in cerebral blood flow and a 5.8% enhancement in memory performance.

The study revealed more than just memory improvements; it also noted a reduction in blood pressure among 31 healthy older adults.

These findings hold promise for reducing dementia risk, which escalates with age as brain blood vessel function tends to decline.

“Cerebral blood flow is an important physiological marker of brain vascular function and refers to the amount of blood that flows through the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients that are essential for maintaining brain health,” Dr. Peter Joris explained in a statement, who is an associate professor at the university’s Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences.

Joris and the team outline that it was likely the nutritional content of the peanuts that provided benefits within this study. 

“For this study, skin-roasted peanuts were chosen because the peanut skin contains additional dietary fibre and natural plant compounds, specifically antioxidants. Together, these nutrients may help explain the beneficial health effects of skin-roasted peanuts observed in this study,” said Joris.

In 2021, the same team found that eating soy nuts for 16 weeks also increased blood flow to the brain. They also found that eating mixed nuts had the same effect, in 2023.

“However, in contrast to our two earlier studies that reported only regional changes in cerebral blood flow, the current findings also demonstrate increases in global cerebral blood flow and grey matter cerebral blood flow of 3.6% and 4.5%, respectively,” Joris and his team wrote in the recent findings.

“To illustrate the relevance of this finding, global cerebral blood flow decreases with 0.37% per year as we age.”