Peanut butter is also a good source of magnesium. Two tablespoons of smooth, salt-free peanut butter have 53.8 milligrams of magnesium. Science has found that consuming sufficient amounts of magnesium along with fiber can help protect people from developing type 2 diabetes by boosting insulin sensitivity (how responsive your cells are to insulin), lowering levels of oxidative stress, and curbing systemic inflammation (per World Journal of Diabetes). In fact, magnesium deficiency is a common concern in people with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes.
Other ways in which eating peanut butter every day can help with diabetes risk have to do with associated health concerns that increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes — specifically obesity and heart disease. Obesity is a common risk factor for type 2 diabetes and consuming peanut butter regularly has been linked with helping people feel full for longer, mainly owing to its rich content of fiber, healthy fats, and protein. When you feel full for longer, especially after eating peanut butter for breakfast or as a snack, you’re less likely to overeat at your main meals. Your cardiovascular health is also closely tied to type 2 diabetes. We often hear of how having diabetes can put you at risk of heart disease and while that is true, heart failure, characterized by your heart not pumping sufficient blood oxygen to all parts of your body, is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes too. Consuming peanut butter, which is rich in healthy fats, is linked with lowering bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and increasing good cholesterol levels (HDL).