Walnuts belong to the tree nut
family, along with Brazil nuts, cashews,
hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Each has its
own unique nutritional profile.
One-quarter cup of walnuts, for
instance, provides more than 100 percent of the daily recommended value of
plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese,
molybdenum, and biotin. Some of the most exciting research about walnuts
includes:
1. Cancer-Fighting Properties
Walnuts may help reduce not only the
risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well. In one study, mice that ate
the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts for 18 weeks had
significantly smaller and slower-growing prostate tumors compared to the
control group that consumed the same amount of fat but from other sources.
2. Heart Health
Walnuts contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers multiple
vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased
risk for heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors.
Walnuts also contain the plant-based
omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is anti-inflammatory and may
prevent the formation of pathological blood clots.
Eating just four walnuts a day has
been shown to significantly raise blood levels of heart-healthy ALA, and
walnut consumption supports healthful cholesterol levels.
Separate research showed that eating
just one ounce of walnuts a day may decrease cardiovascular risk, and among
those at high cardiovascular risk, increased frequency of nut consumption
significantly lowers the risk of death.
3. Rare and Powerful Antioxidants
Antioxidants are crucial to your
health, as they are believed to help control how fast you age by combating free
radicals, which are at the heart of age-related deterioration.
Walnuts contain several unique and
powerful antioxidants that are available in only a few commonly eaten foods.
Walnuts contain antioxidants that
are so powerful at free-radical scavenging that researchers called them
"remarkable," and
research has shown that walnut polyphenols may help prevent chemically-induced
liver damage.
4. Weight Control
Adding healthful amounts of nuts
such as walnuts to your diet can help you to maintain your ideal weight over
time. In one review of 31 trials, those whose diets included extra nuts or nuts
substituted for other foods lost about 1.4 extra pounds and half an inch from
their waists.
Eating walnuts is also associated
with increased satiety after just three days.
5. Improved Reproductive Health in
Men
One of the lesser-known benefits of
walnuts is their impact on male fertility. Among men who consume a
Western-style diet, adding 75 grams (a bit over one-half cup) of walnuts daily significantly
improved sperm quality, including vitality, motility, and morphology.
6. Brain Health
Walnuts contain a number of
neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3
fats, and antioxidants. Research shows walnut consumption may support brain
health, including increasing inferential reasoning in young adults.
One study also found that consuming
high-antioxidant foods like walnuts "can decrease the enhanced
vulnerability to oxidative stress that occurs in aging," "increase
health span," and also "enhance cognitive and motor function in
aging."
7. Diabetes
The beneficial dietary fat in walnuts has been
shown to improve metabolic parameters in people with type 2 diabetes.
Overweight adults with type 2 diabetes who ate one-quarter cup of walnuts daily
had significant reductions in fasting insulin levels compared to those who did
not, and the benefit was achieved in the first three months
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