It is no secret that walnuts are gaining popularity as a result of the growing body of studies demonstrating their many health advantages. The benefits of walnuts appear to extend to several aspects of human health, including heart and intestinal health as well as cognitive.
Nuts like walnuts are a great source of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which have been demonstrated to reduce inflammation and improve mental, cognitive, and cardiovascular function. But these delicious nuts are useful for more than just that.
Helps maintain your heart-health
Although most nuts are thought to be heart-healthy, walnuts have earned the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Certification, which indicates that they satisfy the group’s requirements for being a “heart-healthy food.” This includes having at least 10% of the Daily Value for iron, calcium, protein, dietary fibre, vitamins A and C, and low levels of salt, saturated fat, and trans-fat.
Foods that are good for your heart can have a beneficial effect on your lipid panel, which means they frequently aid in lowering “bad cholesterol” such as LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. And this is confirmed by the studies. Decades of study has demonstrated the heart-health advantages of walnuts, and more recent studies support these conclusions.
Benefits for your brain
Walnuts protects you against Alzheimer’s disease, moderate cognitive impairment (MCI), age-related declines in mental capacity, and other brain illnesses. Many such illnesses are caused by inflammation and oxidative stress in the neurological system. Numerous substances included in walnuts, such as proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, phenolic acid, melatonin, and gamma tocopherol, have strong antioxidant properties. Consuming walnuts on a daily basis can both lower your risk and delay the onset of dementia.
Stabilizing Blood Sugar
“The combination of protein, fibre and healthy fats in walnuts may help to stabilise blood sugar levels,” says Kalloo. This can be particularly significant for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A review from 2023 that was published in Nutrients indicated that eating more nuts overall walnuts included was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
May help your gut health
Recent studies on gut health have demonstrated how fashionable this nut is in the realm of biotics—prebiotics specifically. According to a 2023 review that was published in Antioxidants, walnuts can function as a prebiotic by providing “food” for the good bacteria in your digestive tract. Although more research is required, the results indicate that include walnuts in a nutritious diet may help reduce inflammation and promote intestinal health. The gut microbiome breaks down walnut polyphenols into bioactive, anti-inflammatory substances. You may obtain these advantages for the health of your digestive system by increasing the amount of walnuts in your diet.
