Albany, Ga. (November 10, 2026) – A recent study from the University of Barcelona and the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke has found that eating peanuts was associated with favorable changes in blood lipids linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The changes largely involved a class of lipids called sphingolipids, which contained very long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA). Unlike some other saturated fats, higher levels of VLCSFAs in the blood have been associated with lower T2D risk, better heart health and longevity in emerging research. The findings were recently published online in the international, peer-reviewed journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
“The study aimed to characterize the effects of peanut consumption on the circulating lipidome and examine associations of the resulting changes with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and T2D,” says Dr. Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós, one of the lead researchers from the University of Barcelona. “These results highlight peanuts as a source of dietary fats that may be linked to lower risk of T2D.”
The study combined data from two sources: the ARISTOTLE randomized controlled clinical trial and the prospective, population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)–Potsdam cohort.
The three-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled ARISTOTLE trial was conducted with 63 healthy participants (44 females and 19 males) who were 18 to 33 years of age. The participants, who were mostly students, were from the University of Barcelona in Spain and consumed either 25 grams a day of roasted peanuts with skins or two tablespoons (32 grams) a day of peanut butter or two tablespoons (32 grams) a day of a control butter for six months. The control butter had a similar macronutrient composition as the roasted peanuts and peanut butter but was free of phenolic compounds and fiber. Consumption of the peanut products began after a two-week, peanut-free period in advance of the study.
Study participants followed their regular diet and consumed the peanut products at any time of the day. Wine, grapes, dark chocolate with more than 70% cacao and berries were excluded from the participants’ diets due to their high levels of resveratrol, an antioxidant present in peanuts. In addition, other nuts were excluded from the diet.
EPIC-Potsdam included case-cohort samples for T2D (774 cases) and CVD (547 cases). Plasma lipids were measured preintervention and postintervention in ARISTOTLE and at baseline in EPIC-Potsdam. Linear mixed models identified within-class FA sums responsive to peanut fat – pooling all participants – in ARISTOTLE, which were combined to derive a peanut lipidomic signature (PeLS) in EPIC-Potsdam. Multivariable Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for PeLS and individual lipids with incident T2D and CVD. Hypothesis-generating mediation by BMI was assessed.
The researchers found that the six-month intervention resulted in changes in the blood lipid profile of participants, which included an increased circulation of VLCSFAs. These peanut-related changes in blood lipids were associated with an 11% lower risk of developing T2D in the larger population study. Body mass index (BMI) appeared to explain much of this relationship, suggesting that weight management may play an important role in the connection between peanut consumption and metabolic health.
The research was conducted by Dr. Inés Domínguez-López and her team in the Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, as well as Dr. Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós and her team at the University of Barcelona (Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy, XIA, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, at the INSA-University of Barcelona and CIBEROBN).
The ARISTOTLE study was supported by funding from The Peanut Institute Foundation. The funder did not have a role in the study design, implementation, analysis or interpretation of the data or the writing of the manuscript.
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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Randomized controlled/clinical trial
People
Peanuts-derived plasma lipids and lower risk of type 2 diabetes: association mediated by body mass index—an intervention and case-cohort study
1-Nov-2026