While aging is inevitable, age-related diseases don’t have to be. And when it comes to aging, diet has a huge role to play when it comes to long-term impact on health. In a new study, researchers reviewing 20 years of dietary history and 30 years of physical and clinical measurements found that participants who ate walnuts at a young age were more likely to be more physically active, have a higher-quality diet, and experience a better heart disease risk profile as they aged into middle adulthood.
What makes walnuts so special?
Walnuts are the only tree nut that is an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (2.5 grams/28 g), which research suggests may play a role in heart health, of the brain and healthy aging, according to the report.
Walnuts are considered so nutritious that just one serving of walnuts (28 g), or about a handful, boasts a variety of other important nutrients to support overall health, including 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and a good source of magnesium (45 milligrams), while walnuts offer a variety of antioxidants, including polyphenols.
This study is one of the longest to suggest that adding about a handful of walnuts to the diet every day and early in life could be linked to benefits for the overall quality of the diet as a healthy “carrier food” for the heart that suits any dining occasion .
According to Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Principal Investigator of CARDIA, Lyn M. Steffen, PhD, MPH, RD, “People who eat nuts appear to have a unique body phenotype that is other positive health impacts such as better diet quality, especially when starting to eat nuts from a young age to middle adulthood, as it increases the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.”
This is what the study says:
These findings come from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, an ongoing, long-term study supported by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Institutes of Health and whose goal is to examine the development of heart disease risk factors over time, according to the ANI report.
It’s important to note that this study is one of the longest to suggest that simply adding a handful of heart-healthy nuts to the diet could often act as a bridge to other lifestyle habits that promote health later in life. The findings also reinforce that walnuts could be an easy and affordable food option for improving a variety of heart disease risk factors when eaten in young to middle adulthood, according to the report.
Notably, in this recent study published in Nutrition, Metabolism, & Cardiovascular Diseases, researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health note that a possible explanation for the results could be due to the unique combination of nutrients found in walnuts and their effect on health outcomes.
(With contributions from the ANI)
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