Peanut Butter Has An Unexpected Amount Of Magnesium

Magnesium has become a rock star of the nutritional world, thanks to social media. But it's not hard to understand its popularity. Involved in hundreds of body functions, magnesium is a vital mineral that may help you improve your heart, your mind, and your sleep. Although you can purchase magnesium supplements (after learning everything you need to know about magnesium), you can also get magnesium through your diet. 

One great source of magnesium is peanut butter. A two-tablespoon serving of creamy peanut butter has around 54 milligrams of magnesium. Given that adults should consume anywhere from 310 milligrams to 420 milligrams of magnesium a day, consuming peanut butter can make it easier to reach those targets.

Peanut butter isn't just filled with magnesium, either. It's also packed with other helpful nutrients, including fiber and potassium (4.8 grams and 564 milligrams per two-tablespoon serving, respectively). Together, they make peanut butter a cardioprotective and neuroprotective food that might be especially beneficial before bedtime if your rest isn't as restful as you would like.

A 2022 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition evaluated the effects of eating peanuts on cardiometabolic health. The analysis found that subjects who ate peanuts experienced lower triglyceride levels. Elevated triglycerides are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the Cleveland Clinic, when an individual's triglycerides rise above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), the individual has a 25% greater chance of dying from heart disease.

The magnesium in peanuts may also encourage higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the "good" cholesterol). A 2025 review in Nutritional Journal found a connection between magnesium consumption and "significant" HDL improvements. Consequently, peanut butter may both bring down unwanted cholesterol and raise "good" cholesterol.

Peanut butter may be good for your mental state, too. In a 2021 trial in Clinical Nutrition, healthy subjects who ate peanut-based foods (including peanut butter) for six months performed better on short-term memory assessments and reported less anxiety and depression. Though the trial credited the polyphenols in peanuts for the outcome, magnesium may have contributed.

A 2017 study in CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics showed that when mice with Alzheimer's disease received magnesium supplementation, they recovered some of their cognitive abilities. The study supports the need for more investigation into magnesium as a powerful ally for brain health in humans.

As for sleep, a 2024 review in Cureus revealed a link connecting magnesium to lower anxiety levels, suggesting it could be a natural way to ward off insomnia. And a 2023 review in Biological Trace Element Research noted that magnesium could improve sleep quality, although conclusive evidence wasn't available. (Here are some foods you never knew could help your sleep.)

Of course, this doesn't give you carte blanche to eat all the peanut butter you want just for the magnesium. While peanut butter has a lot of nutritional goodness, it is heavy on calories and fat. Also, some versions contain added sugars and preservatives that might not align with your healthy eating plan.

There's good news, though: Other foods that are magnesium-rich can pair well with a little peanut butter, which can assist you in maxing out on magnesium daily without making peanut butter the lone star of every snack. These foods include multigrain bread (32 milligrams per large slice), bananas (32 milligrams per ripe fruit), and dark chocolate (64 milligrams per ounce).