{
  "id": 12973347,
  "title": "Peanut consumption affects the lipid profile circulating in the blood",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/peanut-consumption-affects-the-lipid-profile-circulating-in-the-blood",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-08T22:40:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-peanut-consumption-affects-lipid-profile.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Unhealthy dietary habits are major contributors to the global health crisis, driving up obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes rates. The quality of fat in one's diet is essential for metabolic health, and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can lower cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks by improving blood lipid profiles and reducing inflammation. Advanced lipidomics provides a comprehensive view of the entire circulating lipidome, revealing specific changes in lipid classes. A new study from researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke and the University of Barcelona suggests that certain fatty acids found in peanuts may improve blood lipid profiles and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, without affecting cardiovascular disease risk. The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrates that a specific peanut lipidomic signature (PeLS) is linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Saturated fatty acids are not uniform; very-long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA) are thought to have unique metabolic effects. Peanuts, a legume, provide a distinctive fatty acid profile with both VLCSFA and monounsaturated fatty acids. Prospective cohort studies have found an inverse association between peanut consumption and the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease, but the mechanisms behind this are unclear. DIfE researchers Dr. Inés Domínguez-López and Professor Matthias Schulze investigated how peanut consumption affects the lipid profile circulating in the blood and whether these changes relate to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They used data from two studies: the ARISTOTLE clinical trial, where participants consumed different amounts of peanuts or butter, and the EPIC-Potsdam cohort, which includes data on new-onset type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The study found that peanut consumption led to an increase in very-long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA), particularly C24:0 and C22:0, and a unique peanut lipidomic signature (PeLS). This lipid remodeling appears to be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but not cardiovascular disease. The positive effect of the peanut lipid signature on type 2 diabetes risk appears to be mediated by body mass index (BMI), suggesting that these specific peanut-derived lipids may help maintain a healthier body weight or stabilize metabolic processes related to adiposity. The findings suggest that incorporating peanuts into a balanced diet could be a simple and effective dietary strategy to prevent type 2 diabetes and improve metabolic health.",
  "summary": "Unhealthy dietary patterns are among the leading drivers of the global health crisis, significantly contributing to rising rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nutritional science has long established that the quality of fat in our diet is crucial for metabolic health. Reducing saturated fat intake or replacing it with unsaturated fats has been shown to lower…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}