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

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; <em>p</em>-value = 0.048). No significant difference was observed between PB and CB groups (mean difference: 0.12; 95% CI: -0.42, 0.66; <em>p</em>-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.