A study from Harvard Medical School, published in the Journal of Nutrition, links peanut butter to better heart health.
Researchers tracked more than 6,000 women with type 2 diabetes over 12 years. Those who consumed nuts or peanut butter five or more times a week at the study's outset had a 40% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to women who rarely or never ate them. They also showed reduced 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels, while 'good' HDL remained stable.
Peanut butter's fat profile closely resembles olive oil's, with nuts providing healthy monounsaturated fats—though it's still calorie-dense.
That said, it would be hasty to broadly recommend higher nut intake based on this research alone, as it didn't differentiate between nut types.
