- Nuts, including walnuts, are generally considered part of a healthy diet due to their high levels of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
- Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that people who eat walnuts have a better heart disease risk profile than those who don’t.
- The research team also reported that nut eaters ate a healthier diet overall, gained less weight, and enjoyed more physical activity compared to those who didn’t eat nuts.
Walnuts are generally considered part of a balance diet Due to its high levels of protein, fiberY healthy fats.
New research from the University of Minnesota highlights one nut in particular: walnuts.
The findings suggest that those who include this particular nut in their diet enjoy certain health benefits, including less weight gaina greater thanalight dietand better heart disease risk profile.
This study, which was partially funded by the California Walnut Commission, was recently published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
Although walnuts are commonly considered to be a nut, technically they are the seed of a Fruit.
In the walnut trees grows the stone fruit, also called drupe. As the fruit ripens, the exterior turns into a hard shell that houses the edible seed, the nut, inside.
A daily serving of walnuts equals 1 ounce, 1/4 cup, or 12-14 walnut halves, and has a nutrition breakdown of:
- 190 calories
- 18 grams of fat (including 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat)
- 4 grams of carbohydrates
- 4 grams of protein
- 2 grams of dietary fiber
- 1 gram of sugar
- No sodium or cholesterol
According to Lauren Peach Sepeclinical nutritionist at the Kellman Wellness Center in New York, NY, walnuts are some of the healthiest nuts you can eat.
“They are rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, as well as several essential minerals,” he explained to Today’s medical news. “Given their beneficial nutritional profile, walnuts are an important part of a healthy diet, providing a number of crucial health benefits.”
Sepe said walnuts offer more health benefits compared to other nuts because they contain the most Omega-3 fatty acids — also known as n-3 fatty acids — from any nut.
“Omega-3 fatty acids are naturally anti-inflammatory. They have also been shown to reduce triglyceride levels and reduce plaque formationwhich is a mechanism by which they reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
– Lauren Pelehach Sepe, Clinical Nutritionist
Sepe also cited a study 2019 showing that walnuts help provide cardiovascular benefits due to their impact on the gut microbiota.
“A healthy gut microbiome has been linked to reduced levels of inflammation, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as improves your lipid profile, reduces the risk of metabolic diseaseas well as many other health benefits,” he added.
For the current study, the lead author Lyn SteffenPhD, MPH, a professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said the primary goal was to determine whether walnut eaters had a better dietary pattern and cardiovascular risk factor profile during 30-year follow-up, compared to those who didn’t eat nuts.
For this observational study, Dr. Steffen and her team used the findings of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which began during 1985-1986 with a group of more than 5,000 Caucasian and black men and women ages 18 to 30, and continues today.
The research team examined data from 3,023 CARDIA participants that included 352 nut eaters, 2,494 other nut eaters, and 177 non-nut eaters.
Upon examination of physical and clinical measurements after 30 years, the researchers found that nut eaters displayed a better heart disease risk profile, including:
The researchers also found that people who ate walnuts ate a healthier diet overall, gained less weight, and had a lower fasting blood sugar concentration and self-reported more physical activity.
Dr. Steffen said the findings weren’t surprising because walnuts are an excellent source of plant-based n-3 fatty acids, more specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and another antioxidants.
“Other nuts are also nutritious and contain fatty acids and antioxidants, but other types of nuts do not contain ALA, plant-based n-3 fatty acids,” he explained to MNT.
“I have read about the health benefits of walnuts for many years. He wanted to see if walnut consumption would be beneficially linked to CVD. [cardiovascular disease] health profiles in the CARDIA population.”
“I wrote other role on walnut consumption associated with cardiac phenotypes, that is, systolic and diastolic function, using data from the CARDIA study. Although the heart function parameters of the adults were within normal ranges, the adults who ate walnuts had better values.”
– Lyn Steffen, PhD, MPH, lead study author
According to Sepe, there is no exact answer to determine how many nuts a person should eat a day to enjoy the health benefits pointed out in the study.
Still, he suggested that 1 ounce a day, which is about seven walnuts or 14 walnut halves, may provide benefits.
“They’re easy to add to your daily diet, or you can have a larger serving several times a week,” she explained. “The goal is not so much a specific number, but to start including these and other nutrient rich foods in your daily diet to confer maximum benefits.”
As for the next steps in this research, Sepe said he would like to see more research looking at all the mechanisms by which walnuts provide health benefits, namely their impact on The gut.
“This could lead not only to a better understanding of how walnuts can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also other health conditions,” he added.
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