Eating peanuts may offer several benefits to people with type 2 diabetes, including aiding weight loss and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, peanuts also carry potential risks.

Peanuts are packed with a variety of nutritious properties that may benefit people with type 2 diabetes.

Eating peanuts and peanut products may help many aspects of life with diabetes, including keeping blood sugars more level and promoting weight loss as well as tackling risk of longer-term complications.

However, there may also be concerns about eating peanuts if you live with (T2D).

Adding peanuts and peanut butter to your meal plans may be beneficial, especially if you have type 2 diabetes.

While not technically nuts, peanuts provide many of the same health benefits as tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans.

Peanuts are also less expensive than most other nuts, which is great if you’re looking to save money but still want the nutritional rewards.

In general, here are some possible health benefits related to peanuts to take note of:

  • promote weight loss
  • lower the risk of cardiovascular disease
  • may help stabilize blood sugar
  • prevent people from developing type 2 diabetes in the first place

Peanuts help with blood sugar

The foods you eat are a key part in managing type 2 diabetes and blood sugar levels. That includes knowing the glycemic content of what you’re eating, or how quickly your body converts carbohydrates into glucose.

The glycemic index (GI) is a 100-point scale that rates foods on how rapidly they cause blood sugar levels to rise. Foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar are given a higher value. Water, which has no effect on blood sugar, has a GI value of 0.

Peanuts have a GI value of 13, which makes them a low GI food.

Eating peanuts or peanut butter in the morning may help manage your blood sugar throughout the day. Peanuts may also help prevent your body from producing more insulin, as it naturally deals with higher GI foods that raise blood sugar levels.

Having more insulin will lower your blood sugars, and that can lead to fluctuations and spikes that cause more hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia throughout the day.

One reason that peanuts may help stabilize blood sugar is that they contain a large amount of magnesium. A single serving of peanuts (about 28 peanuts) contains 12% of the daily recommended amount of magnesium, which can help maintain blood sugar levels.

Limited research is available, so future studies are needed to explain how nuts may affect T2D management and prevention.

Peanuts may lower the risk for cardiovascular disease

Research suggests that eating peanuts may play a part in lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, a common complication of diabetes.

Adding nuts to your eating plan may also help lower high blood pressure, another common complication of diabetes.

Peanuts may help with weight management

Peanuts may help you feel fuller and have fewer hunger cravings, which can help you maintain a healthy weight and better manage your blood glucose levels.

Peanuts may lower the overall risk for diabetes

Eating peanuts or peanut butter may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because peanuts are high in unsaturated fat and other nutrients that help your body’s ability to regulate insulin.

For all the benefits peanuts may provide for managing type 2 diabetes, some caution is advised. Here are some peanut-eating concerns to watch out for.

  • Omega 6 fatty acids: Peanuts contain more omega-6 fatty acids than other nuts. Too much omega-6 may be linked to increased inflammation, which may increase your diabetes symptoms and risk for obesity.
  • Salt and sugar: Peanut products often contain added salt and sugar, which you’ll want to limit if you have diabetes. Peanut butter, in particular, can include added fat, oil, and sugar. Choosing a natural peanut butter with few, if any, ingredients other than peanuts is your best option.
  • Allergies: Perhaps the biggest risk associated with peanuts is that they can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
  • Calories: While peanuts offer many advantages for individuals with T2D, they are relatively high in calories and should be consumed in moderation. One-half cup of raw peanuts contains over 400 calories. To reduce your calorie intake, try eating peanuts in place of, rather than in addition to, refined grain products and red and processed meats.

Your eating style plays an important role in managing and potentially preventing type 2 diabetes.

Research has shown that including peanuts and peanut products in your meal plans offers numerous benefits. Peanuts offer many of the same health benefits as tree nuts and serve as a less expensive alternative. Peanuts should be eaten in moderation and in the purest form possible.