Eating peanuts every day may offer surprising benefits for the aging brain. Researchers at Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands have found that regularly consuming unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts can improve how certain brain regions respond to insulin in older adults. The findings come from the Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM) and were published in the peer-reviewed journal Food & Function.
Although insulin is best known for regulating blood sugar, it also plays an essential role in the brain. It helps nerve cells grow, survive, and communicate with one another, supporting memory and other cognitive abilities. Healthy insulin signaling may also help protect against processes associated with Alzheimer's disease.
After participants consumed peanuts daily for 16 weeks, researchers observed improved insulin responsiveness in a group of brain regions in the right hemisphere. These included portions of the lingual gyrus, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus, all of which contribute to memory-related processes.
"The hormone insulin plays an important role in the brain, where it supports memory and other cognitive processes. As people age, the brain may become less responsive to insulin, which has been linked to age-related cognitive decline," says Dr. Peter Joris, the study's senior author and an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Center. "Our study found that daily peanut consumption beneficially affected insulin responsiveness in memory-related brain regions in older adults. These findings suggest that enhanced regional brain insulin responsiveness may contribute to the cognitive benefits of unsalted, skin-roasted peanut intake."
Source: ScienceDaily - Psychology — Read the full article on the original site ↗