It sounds nuts, but one snack may help you live longer. <\/p>\n
Telomeres \u2014 the caps at the ends of your chromosomes \u2014 get shorter as you age, and that shortening can contribute to age-related diseases like cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart issues.<\/p>\n
But your diet can have an impact on telomere length, and a new study has pinpointed one specific food that can make a difference, slowing down your body\u2019s aging process. <\/p>\n
Oddly enough, though, another popular snack made from this food didn\u2019t have the same positive impact.<\/p>\n
A team of researchers in Spain set out to explore how a daily dose of this common ballgame snack could slow the roll of aging. Elena \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Publishing in the journal\u00a0Antioxidants<\/a>, a team of researchers in Spain explored how telomeres were affected by a daily dose of peanuts and peanut butter.<\/p>\n Antioxidants have been shown to fight telomere shortening, so it would make sense that peanuts \u2014 a rich source of antioxidants like vitamin E, niacin and polyphenols like resveratrol \u2014 would help.<\/p>\n Researchers believe peanuts have the power to neutralize reactive oxygen species and reduce inflammation, two qualities that could go a long way in preserving telomere length.<\/p>\n It would also stand to reason that peanut butter \u2014 made mainly from grounded peanuts \u2014 would have the safe effect. But that didn\u2019t turn out to be the case.<\/p>\n In the study, 58 participants were divided into three groups: the first received 25 grams of skin-roasted peanuts per day, the second consumed 32 grams of peanut butter and the third received 32 grams a day of a control butter made from peanut oil.<\/p>\n They were instructed to avoid other nuts, grapes, dark chocolate and wine during the trial.<\/p>\n The results suggest that eating skin-roasted peanuts daily for six months may slow telomere shortening in young, healthy adults. jahmaica \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Those who ate peanuts showed a significant increase in telomere length after three months. None of them had accelerated telomere shortening.<\/p>\n But peanut butter eaters did not have the same results. There was no increase in telomere length, and 22% did have accelerated telomere shortening.<\/p>\n These results suggest that daily consumption of skin-roasted peanuts may slow telomere shortening in young, healthy adults.<\/p>\n So why did the peanuts give a boost \u2014 but the PB didn\u2019t?<\/p>\n The study authors believe that, unlike processed peanut butter, whole peanuts may support gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids, which were linked to lower cortisol and depression biomarkers in the same trial.<\/p>\n Telomere length is considered a hallmark of aging, and accelerated shortening is linked to several diseases and chronic conditions. bell \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings highlight the importance of whole foods over processed alternatives in promoting cellular health,\u201d the authors noted. <\/p>\n One population that won\u2019t be partaking in the peanuts? The more than six million Americans who have a\u00a0peanut allergy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The research team notes that there are several limitations to their study, including a small, age-specific sample size and a lack of a peanut-free control group.<\/p>\n Further, telomere deterioration is a slow process, and while the six-month study proved illuminating, longer-term research is called for to confirm these findings.<\/p>\n