7 Amazing Benefits of Walnuts for Health Didn’t Know
Every year for the past 50 years, scientists and industry executives have gathered at the University of California, Davis, to discuss the most recent health research findings about walnuts. The benefits of walnuts for health are numerous; many are missed, in this article. I will focus on the health benefits of walnuts and their impact on most common diseases, as well as their role in weight management.
Type of Walnuts
The most cultivated and eaten walnut varieties in the world are two: Juglans regia, commonly known as the English walnut, and Juglans nigra, also known as the black walnut.
The English walnut is the most common and is beloved all over the world for its large nut, relatively thin shell, and mild, sweet flavor. The black walnut, on the other hand, has an intense walnut flavor and a much tougher, thicker husk and shell, making it more difficult to process and crack to get to the nut within.
Origin of Walnuts
At first, Persia and Kyrgyzstan were believed to be the birthplace of English walnuts due to the large native walnut forests that grew there. but also we find native walnut forests that stretched from the Balkans to the Himalayas and southwest China. The English walnut has adapted well to a variety of growing conditions, making it harder to trace its original heritage.
The black walnut, on the other hand, requires more specific growing conditions; it requires a warmer climate and plenty of fertile soil in order to thrive, such as along the edges of rivers or streams. Originating in North America, it was not introduced to Europe until the mid-16th century.
Nutritional Facts of Walnuts
The most common variety of walnut is the English walnut, which is also the most studied type. One ounce of shelled nuts (28 grams) contains:
| Calories: | 185 |
| Water: | 4% |
| Fat: | 18.5 grams |
| Protein: | 4.3 grams |
| Carbs: | 3.9 grams |
| Fiber: | 1.9 grams |
| Sugar: | 0.7 grams |
1 ounce shelled walnuts = 28 grams = 1/4 cup = 12–14 halves = 1 small handful
Benefits of Walnuts for Health
1. Walnuts is a Great Antioxidant
Walnuts have higher antioxidant activity than any other nuts e.g. Almond, Pistachios or Cashews. This antioxidant activity is related to vitamin E, polyphenols, and melatonin, which are particularly high in the papery skin of walnuts. Main benefits of walnuts antioxidant activity is:
- Reduce bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) damage to arteries and prevent atherosclerosis (cholesterol build up in arteries).
- Reduce inflammation in your body, which is the prime cause of many diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.
2. Walnuts is Excellent Source of Omega-3
Omega-3 is an essential fat for the body that cannot be synthesized in body, i.e., we should get it from an external source. Walnuts are significantly higher in omega-3 content than any other nut, providing about 2.5 grams per 1 ounce of shelled nuts (28 grams).
There are three type of omega-3:
- DHA (Docosa-Hexaenoic Acid).
- EPA (Eicosa-Pentaenoic Acid).
- ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid).
DHA and EPA are found primarily in animal foods, such as cold-water fatty fish like salmon. It is also found in fish oil supplements as OMEGA 3-6-9 or OMEGA # FISH OIL and and algae. While ALA is found primarily in plants, such as walnuts, Studies have shown that one gram of ALA you eat per day reduce blood pressure, cholesterol level, risk of heart disease and lowers your risk of death from heart disease by 10%
Daily requirement of ALA is is 1.6 and 1.1. grams per day for men and women respectively according to the Institute of Medicine, a single serving of walnuts meets this requirements
3. Walnuts Improve Your Gut Health
The presence of normal flora (healthy bacteria in your digestive system) greatly improves gut health and overall health. On the other hand, a reduction in normal flora contributes to inflammation and disease in your gut, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
Eating walnuts is a great way to increase and support the health of bacteria and the gut. One study showed that when healthy adults ate 1.5 ounces (43 grams) of walnuts every day for eight weeks, they had an increase in beneficial bacteria, compared to a period of not eating walnuts.
Walnuts also have a lot of fiber, which is good for digestion and keeps you full longer; plus, they’re low in calories, so you can enjoy them guilt-free.
4. Walnuts Reduce the risk of Cancer
According to human observational studies, eating walnuts may reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
As previously stated, walnuts are high in polyphenol, which is a precursor to urolithin, a product produced in the gut with the help of normal bacterial flora that has anti-inflammatory properties. That is why eating walnuts may help protect against colorectal cancer.
Also, urolithins have hormone-like properties that enable them to block hormone receptors in your body. which may help reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers, specifically breast and prostate cancers.
5. Help in Weight Loss
Although walnuts are calorie dense, eating walnuts may help control your appetite and aid in weight loss.
In one study, a group of obese patients drank a smoothie made with about 1.75 ounces (48 grams) of walnuts once a day for five days and had decreased appetite and hunger compared to a control group drinking a placebo smoothie equal in calories and nutrients. owed that the participants had increased activation in a region of the brain that helped to reduce appetite.
You can add walnuts to your meals to achieve healthy weight loss.
6. Walnuts Help in Diabetes Managements
Studies suggest that walnuts lower risk of type 2 diabetes due to help to control weight. Excess weight increases your risk of high blood sugar and diabetes.
In one study with type 2 diabetes patients, consuming 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed walnut oil a day for 3 months while continuing their usual diabetes medication and balanced diet resulted in an 8% decrease in fasting blood sugar and an 8% decrease in hemoglobin A1C (3-month average blood sugar), while the control group showed no improvement in A1C or fasting blood sugar. Neither group had a change in their weight.
7. Walnuts Lower Blood Pressure
Some studies suggest that eating walnuts may help lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or healthy people under stress.
A four-year study of about 7500 adults at high risk of heart disease who were tested with the Mediterranean diet supplemented with 1 ounce (28 grams) of mixed nuts daily, of which half were walnuts, found that people on the nut-enriched Mediterranean diet had a 0.65 mmHg greater decrease in diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) than people on a similar heart-healthy control diet who weren’t given nuts.
Although nuts may slightly improve blood pressure, small differences in blood pressure are thought to have a big impact on your risk of heart disease death.
What is the recommended daily dose
The recommended daily value for walnuts is 25 grams per day, which is about 5 to 6 shelled walnuts (one ounce shelled walnuts = 28 grams = 1/4 cup = 12–14 halves = 1 small handful)
Conclusion
Walnuts are a great addition to your diet because they are tasty and rich with antioxidant and omega 3, Walnuts lower weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes fasting sugar and Hb A1c levels. Also Walnuts help to improve gut health, reduce risk of cancer.
I hope you share with us your thoughts about walnuts in comment
Disclosure: The information in this article is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for the medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a health care provider based on the health care provider’s examination and assessment of a patient’s specific and unique circumstances. Some of external links are affiliate links
