Surprising
Six months of daily peanut butter (43 g) shaved 1.23 seconds off a sit-to-stand test in older adults — a statistically significant improvement, though the study was open-label and the benefit didn't extend to walking speed or muscle strength.
This suggests peanut butter may help with a specific functional task (rising from a chair) in fall-prone older adults, but because the study wasn't blinded and is among the first of its kind, the finding needs replication before you'd change your snack habits based on it.
In a 6-month trial of 108 older adults at risk of falls, those who ate 43 grams of peanut butter daily improved their time to stand up from a chair five times by about 1.2 seconds more than the control group. However, the study was open-label (everyone knew what they were getting), and other measures like gait speed and muscle strength didn't budge — so the effect is real but narrow.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on peanut butter for Improved Five Times Sit-to-Stand Time — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
- n = 108
- 2026-02
- Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle
- PubMed: 41632974
- DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.70221
- Full study breakdown →
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.