7 Benefits of Walnuts

Via Mercola Natural Health Articles by communities@mercola.com (Dr. Joseph Mercola)

By Dr. Mercola

Oftentimes, the simplest foods are best for your health, and this is certainly the case for nuts, in which
Mother Nature has crafted a nearly perfect package of protein, healthy fats, fiber, plant sterols,
antioxidants, and many vitamins and minerals.

Among nuts, the case may be made that walnuts are king, as research shows they may boost your health
in a number of ways at very easy-to-achieve "doses."

Eating just one ounce of walnuts a day (that's about seven shelled walnuts) may be all it takes to take
advantage of their beneficial properties.

7 Top Reasons to Eat Walnuts

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.

Overall the whole walnut diet reduced prostate cancer growth by 30 to 40 percent.
According to another study on mice, the human equivalent of just two handfuls of walnuts a
day cut breast cancer risk in half, and slowed tumor growth by 50 percent as well.1

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.

If you struggle with herpes, you may want to avoid or limit walnuts, as high levels of
arginine can deplete the amino acid lysine, which can trigger herpes recurrences.

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. Research shows
that people who eat a diet high in ALA are less likely to have a fatal heart attack and have
a nearly 50 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death.2

Eating just four walnuts a day has been shown to significantly raise blood levels of heart-
healthy ALA, 3 and walnut consumption supports healthful cholesterol levels.

Separate research showed that eating just one ounce of walnuts a day may decrease
 cardiovascular risk,4 and among those at high cardiovascular risk, increased frequency of
nut consumption significantly lowers the risk of death.5

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. This includes the quinone juglone, the tannin tellimagrandin, and
the flavonol morin.6

Walnuts contain antioxidants that are so powerful at free-radical scavenging that

researchers called them "remarkable,"7 and research has shown that walnut polyphenols
may help prevent chemically-induced liver damage.8

In another study, researchers found that nuts, especially walnuts, have potent antioxidant
powers. Walnut polyphenols had the best efficacy among the nuts tested and also the
highest lipoprotein-bound antioxidant activity. The researchers concluded:9

"Nuts are high in polyphenol antioxidants which by binding to lipoproteins

would inhibit oxidative processes that lead to atherosclerosis in vivo. In
human supplementation studies nuts have been shown to improve the lipid
profile, increase endothelial function and reduce inflammation, all without
causing weight gain."

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.10 Eating walnuts is also associated with increased satiety after just three days. 11

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.12

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.13

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."14

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.15

Why You Should Eat the Walnut Skin

The outermost layer of a shelled walnut – the whitish, flaky (or sometimes waxy) part – has a bitter flavor,
but resist the urge to remove it. It's thought that up to 90 percent of the antioxidants in walnuts are found
in the skin, making it one of the healthiest parts to consume.16 To increase the positive impacts on your
health, look for nuts that are organic and raw , not irradiated or pasteurized.

Furthermore, be aware that walnuts are highly perishable and their healthful fats easily damaged. If
you're purchasing shelled walnuts in bulk, avoid those that appear shriveled or smell rancid, or that you
cannot verify are fresh. Walnuts should be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer,
whether they are shelled or unshelled. Walnuts are great as a quick snack, but if you're not a fan of their
flavor, you can still get their therapeutic benefits by blending them into smoothies. Or you can try one of
the other healthful nuts available.

You can further improve the quality of walnuts by soaking them in water overnight, which will tend to
lower some of the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. After soaking, you can dehydrate them at low
temperature of around 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit until they are crispy again, as they are far more
palatable when they are crunchy.

Most Nuts Are a Wonderful Food

You can't really go wrong when choosing nuts to eat, as long as you pay attention to quality. By this I
mean look for nuts that are organic and raw, not irradiated, pasteurized, or coated in sugar. One
exception is peanuts, which are technically in the legume family. My main objections to peanuts are that
they tend to:

Distort your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, as they are relatively high in omega-6
Be frequently contaminated with a carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin
Be one of the most pesticide-contaminated crops

My favorite nuts are raw macadamia and pecans, as they provide the highest amount of healthy fat while
being on the lower end in terms of carbs and protein. Most nuts' nutritional makeup closely resemble
what I consider to be an ideal ratio of the basic building blocks—fat making up the greatest amount of
your daily calories, followed by a moderate amount of high-quality protein and a low amount of non-
vegetable carbs. And this is precisely why they're recommended as one of the best sources of healthy
fats in my nutrition plan.

The main fatty acid in macadamia nuts is the monounsaturated fat oleic acid (about 60 percent). This is
about the level found in olives, which are well known for their health benefits. I have been consuming
macadamia nuts and pecans almost daily since I started lowering my overall protein intake about a year
ago. The following list shows the nutrition facts in grams per one ounce for your most common tree nuts
(one ounce of nuts equates to just over 28 grams, or about a small handful):17

Tree Nut Fat (grams per Protein (grams per Carbohydrates

ounce) ounce) (grams per ounce)

Macadamias 22 2 4

Pecans 20 3 4
 Pine nuts 20 4 4

Brazil nuts 19 4 3

Walnuts 18 4 4

Hazelnuts 17 3 5

Cashews 13 4 9

Almonds 14 6 6

Pistachios 13 6 8

Sources:
NutritionFacts.org May 9, 2014

Related Articles:

Tree Nuts, Chockfull of Healthful Fats, May Help You Live Longer

More Evidence Adding Nuts Is a Healthy Choice

Walnut: This Popular Nut Slashed Breast Cancer Risk in Mice by 50%

Comments (1)

This file was saved from Inoreader