According to a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, daily peanut butter consumption may improve certain measures of physical function in older adults.
In this trial, 120 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older were randomly assigned either to receive 43 grams of peanut butter per day or to maintain their usual care over a six-month period. The researchers assessed various measures of physical function both at baseline and at six months.
Statistical analysis showed that the peanut butter group saw significantly more improvement than the control group on the five times sit-to-stand (5STS) test, in which participants were asked to stand up from a chair five times with their arms crossed over their chest, using their maximum range of motion, as quickly as possible. Peanut butter improved 5STS performance by 1.23 seconds on average, a small yet clinically meaningful change. The peanut butter group also saw significantly more improvement in their muscle power based on the 5STS test. The adherence rate was also high (86%), showing that peanut butter supplementation is a feasible dietary strategy for older adults.
This research was funded by The Peanut Institute.
Feyesa, I., Hettiarachchi, J., Daly, R. M., George, E. S., Georgousopoulou, E. N., Scott, D., Baguley, B. J., Abbott, G., & Tan, S. Y. (2026). Effects of Peanut Butter Supplementation on Older Adults’ Physical Function: A 6-Month Randomised Controlled Trial. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 17(1), e70221.