# Unveiling the Impact of Peanut Consumption on Telomere Length in Young and Healthy Individuals: Insights from the ARISTOTLE Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial

## TL;DR

This study shows that eating roasted peanuts may help maintain telomere length in young, healthy people, suggesting a link between peanut consumption and cellular health.

## Contribution

The study is the first to show that peanut consumption may influence telomere length in young, healthy individuals.

## Key findings

- Consuming skin-roasted peanuts was associated with significant telomere length maintenance compared to a control butter.
- Peanut butter consumption did not show significant differences in telomere length compared to the control.
- The findings suggest that specific peanut forms may support cellular health in young individuals.

## Abstract

Diet is a potential modulator of telomere length (TL), but the impact of individual dietary components, such as nuts, on TL in young, healthy individuals remains underexplored. Peanuts are rich in bioactive compounds that may influence TL. Therefore, to fill this gap of knowledge, this study aimed to investigate the effect of peanut consumption on TL in this specific population. Fifty-eight young, healthy individuals were randomized to one of three different intervention groups for 6 months each: (1) 25 g/day of skin-roasted peanuts (SRP); (2) 32 g/day of peanut butter (PB); (3) 32 g/day of a control butter (CB) (based on peanut oil). TL was measured by quantitative real-time PCR in saliva at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Our findings revealed significant between-group differences in TL changes, particularly between the SRP and CB groups over 6 months (mean difference: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.01, 1.05; p-value = 0.048). No significant difference was observed between PB and CB groups (mean difference: 0.12; 95% CI: –0.42, 0.66; p-value = 0.66). This study provides novel insights into the impact of peanut consumption on TL maintenance in young and healthy individuals. The findings highlight the potential benefits of incorporating peanuts into the diet as a means of promoting cellular health and longevity. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and validate these findings across diverse populations and longer time frames.