According to a news release from Washington University in St. Louis, girls who consume peanut butter may improve breast health later in life.

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard Medical School discovered that girls ages 9 to 15 who frequently consume peanut butter or nuts were 39 percent less likely to form benign breast disease by age 30. Although benign breast disease is noncancerous, it raises the risk of breast cancer later in life.

“These findings suggest that peanut butter could help reduce the risk of breast cancer in women,” said senior author Graham Colditz, associate director for cancer prevention and control at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, in a statement.

The results are based on the medical histories of more than 9,000 U.S. girls participating in The Growing Up Today Study from 1996 through 2001. Later, when the participants were 18 to 30 years old, they noted whether they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease.

The researchers discovered that girls who consumed peanut butter or nuts twice per week were 39 percent less likely to have formed benign breast disease than those who never consumed them. The results imply that beans, lentils, soybeans and corn also may improve breast health later in life. However, the researchers admit that the evidence for this conclusion was weaker.

The researchers suggest that peanut butter or nuts take the place of junk foods in girls’ diets.

The study’s results are described in greater detail in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

What do you think of the study’s findings? Do you consume peanut butter for breast health other health reasons? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.