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Peanut Consumption and Stress Study

This study is looking at whether eating peanuts can improve your health, especially if you experience high levels of stress. Researchers want to see if eating 42 grams of roasted, salted peanuts with skins daily, compared to 45 grams of corn chips, can help with stress, inflammation, and heart health. You might be able to join if you are between 18 and 65 years old, have a BMI between 18.5 and 39.9, and have high levels of perceived stress. The study will measure changes in your stress levels, overall health markers (allostatic load), and immune cell activity over 12 weeks to see if peanut consumption makes a difference. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 70 participants. Participants will be assigned to either eat peanuts or corn chips daily.
What's involved
The study will track changes at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. This suggests regular check-ins and measurements over a 12-week period.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for 12 weeks, with measurements taken at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT07735221

Impact of Peanut Consumption on Stress, Immune Function, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Health in High-Stress Individuals

Not Yet Recruiting
NAAges 18–65InterventionalBasic science
USDA, Western Human Nutrition Research Center
~70 participants
Updated 2026-08-03 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Peanuts, roasted, salted with skinsIsocaloric food

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in psychosocial stress over time
Measured over Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
+27 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Immune System
Stress
Chronic Stress
Cardiovascular Health

Explore related trials

Cardiovascular DisorderStress

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
California1

Study leadership

  • Ryan Snodgrass, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · United States Department of Agriculture - Western Human Nutrition Research Center

Who to contact

Ellen Bonnel, PhD
[email protected]
530-752-4184
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Males and females
18-65 years old
BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m2 and ≤ 39.9 kg/ m2
Recruitment will be based on Perceived Stress Scale - 4 (PSS-4) score

Exclusion

Less than 18 and over 65 years old
Pregnant or lactating women
Adults who rely on prescription medication that may influence study variables, apart from birth control
BMI \< 18.5 kg/m2 and \> 39.9 kg/m2
Smokers who currently use tobacco- or marijuana-containing products including e-cigarettes, vape pens, pod mods, tanks, and electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS)
Habitual consumption of nuts, nut butters, nut powders, nut side dishes, nut bars or other nut products
Known food allergies (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame, corn) due to samples not prepared in a hypoallergenic environment
Currently living in close contact with individuals who have an allergy to peanuts, in order to avoid exposing these individuals to an allergen
Self-reported history of difficulties with blood drawing procedures including prior fainting or dizziness, or veins assessed as not suitable for four separate venipunctures by licensed phlebotomist
Diagnosed active chronic diseases for which the individual is currently taking daily medication, including but not limited to:
Diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, kidney disease, liver disease, bleeding disorders, asthma, autoimmune disorders, hypertension, osteoporosis
Recent minor surgery (within 4 weeks) or major surgery (within 16 weeks)
Known gallbladder disease or history of cholecystectomy
History of gastrointestinal surgery, including gastric bypass surgery or resection
Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome
Recent antibiotic therapy (within 4 weeks)
Recent hospitalization (within 4 weeks)
Current participation in another research study
Has HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, or another disease that affects the immune system
Gives regular blood donations and is unwilling to stop during the study
Blood Pressure ≥ 140 mmHg systolic or 90 mmHg diastolic
Current diagnoses of an eating disorder (ex. anorexia, bulimia, etc.)
High - very high triglyceride levels: ≥ 300 mg/dL
Adults who are unable to consent, individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children and teenagers), pregnant women and prisoners will be excluded from participation in the study
Participants who are unwilling to collect and transport urine, stool and saliva samples
Abnormal hemoglobin and/or hematocrit levels
Abnormal liver function (defined as liver enzymes that are \>200% of upper limit (ALT upper limit is 43 U/L or Aspartate transaminase (AST) upper limit is 54 U/L)
Unwillingness to discontinue probiotic, prebiotic, fiber, or other supplements (except RDA-level vitamin and mineral supplements) during the study
Unwilling to consume study foods
Alcohol consumption \> 20 g/day

What this trial measures

  • Change in psychosocial stress over timeBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    The PSS-10 will be administered 4 times during the study. The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a validated, standard instrument used to assess subjective perceptions of chronic psychological stress (i.e., excessive demands, insufficient coping resources, and a perceived lack of control). The minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 40. Higher scores indicate greater severity of psychosocial stress.

  • Change from baseline of allostatic load following dietary interventionsBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Before and after each intervention, cumulative physiological stress load, also referred to as allostatic load (AL), will be calculated. AL will be derived from 12-h overnight urinary cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine levels (corrected for urinary creatinine levels), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and overnight fasted waist-to-hip ratio, fasting serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, fasting plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and whole blood glycohemoglobin (HbA1c).

  • Change from baseline of monocyte gene expressionBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Total monocytes isolated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at baseline and post-intervention will be collected, and their global gene expression will be analyzed by ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing.

  • Change from baseline of cytokine and interferon production in PBMCsBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Monocytes isolated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will be challenged with and without toll-like receptor ligands to assess cytokine and interferon production in low- and high-stress subjects at baseline and after intervention.

  • Change from baseline of cytotoxicity of peripheral natural killer cellsBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    The cytotoxicity of peripheral natural killer (NK) cells isolated from subject's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of low- and high-stress individuals at baseline and after intervention will be assessed using an ex vivo cytotoxicity assay with human erythroleukemic cell line (K562) target cells.

  • Change from baseline of interferon-gammaBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of tumor necrosis factors alpha and betaBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Tumor necrosis factors alpha and beta (TNF-α, TNF-β) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of interleukinsBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    A panel of interleukins: (IL) (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17A) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of fibroblast growth factorBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factorBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery:

  • Change from baseline of thymus and activation-regulated chemokineBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC). will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of macrophage inflammatory proteins-1 alpha and betaBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Macrophage inflammatory proteins-1 alpha and beta (MIP-1α, MIP-1β) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of macrophage-derived chemokineBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of monocyte chemoattractant proteins-1 and -4Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Monocyte chemoattractant proteins-1 and -4 (MCP-1, MCP-4) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of interferon gamma-induced protein-10Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Interferon gamma-induced protein-10 (IP-10) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of eotaxin and eotaxin-3Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Eotaxin and eotaxin-3 will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of C-reactive proteinBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    C-reactive protein (CRP) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of intercellular adhesion molecule-1Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of placental growth factorBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Placental growth factor (PlGF) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of serum amyloid ABaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Serum amyloid A (SAA) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of angiopoietin-1 receptorBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Angiopoietin-1 receptor (Tie-2) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of vascular endothelial growth factors A, C, and DBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Vascular endothelial growth factors A, C, and D (VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1/Flt-1) will be measured before and after each intervention using the V-PLEX Human Biomarker 40-Plex Kit from Meso Scale Discovery

  • Change from baseline of monocyte phenotypeBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks

    Classical monocytes, intermediate monocytes, and non-classical monocytes, will be identified by leukocyte common antigen (CD45+), Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (CD91+), cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14), cluster of differentiation 16 (CD16), and cluster of differentiation 3 (lin-CD3)/cluster of differentiation 66b (CD66b)/neural cell adhesion molecule (CD56)/cluster of differentiation 19 (CD19) using flow cytometry.

  • Change from baseline of monocyte functional profileBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks

    Cellular activation of classical monocytes, intermediate monocytes, and non-classical monocytes will be assessed by expression of cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b) and cluster of differentiation 163 (CD163).

  • Change from baseline of natural killer cell phenotypeBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks

    Natural killer (NK) cells will be identified by CD45+, cluster of differentiation 56+ (CD56+), and lin-CD3/CD66b/CD14/CD19 using flow cytometry.

  • Change from baseline of natural killer cell functional profileBaseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks

    Natural killer (NK) cell maturation status and cytotoxic potential via CD16, cluster of differentiation 57 (CD57), killer cell lectin-like receptor K1 (NKG2D), and cluster of differentiation 159 (NKG2A) will be analyzed using flow cytometry.