Eating three tablespoons of peanut butter per day can help older people boost their muscle power, a study suggests. Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, found those who ate a daily 43g serving were able to complete a sit-to-stand test faster than those who stuck to their usual diet. The peanut butter eaters increased their energy and unsaturated fat intake but did not gain weight during the six-month study.
Study leader Dr Sze-Yen Tan, associate professor and nutrition researcher at Deakin University, said: “Being able to complete the test faster means greater muscle power. Muscle power enables older people to perform activities of daily living, such as stair climbing and rising from a chair. Increased muscle power also reduces the risk of falls, which is a common reason for loss of independence, compromised quality of life and even premature death.”
The research involved 120 adults aged 66 to 89, who were living independently. The sit-to-stand test involved asking participants to stand up from a chair with their arms crossed over their chest, as quickly as possible.
Those in the peanut butter group performed better on this test. However, similar improvements were not seen in tests of gait speed, stepping tests and tests where people were asked to stand up from a chair, walk around a cone and sit down again.
Writing in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, researchers said this suggested the benefits of increased peanut butter consumption were confined to improved muscle power.
They wrote: “Evidence indicates that muscle power declines earlier and more substantially than muscle strength and muscle mass with ageing.
“Our findings in muscle power are also clinically important because low relative muscle power is an indicator of mobility limitation, and it has been linked to greater odds of self‐reported walking difficulty.
“Recent findings further indicate that the dynamic nature of muscle power is more crucial for survival and independence than maximal strength. Therefore, an improvement in muscle power documented in our study is of clinical importance.”
Dr Tan said a regular dose of peanut butter could be used alongside resistance training to enhance muscle power.
He added: “Peanut butter, which is a naturally rich source of nutrients, including protein and healthy fats, can be an accessible, affordable and palatable alternative to commercial oral nutrition supplements.
“More importantly, peanut butter is familiar to most people, including seniors, and the butter form makes it suitable for those with dentition issues who might struggle to eat whole nuts.”
The research was funded by The Peanut Butter Institute Foundation, which had no role in the study design, implementation, analysis or data interpretation.
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