The benefits of walnuts on age-related health issues

April, 2016

Initial findings from the Walnuts and Healthy Aging (WAHA) study indicate that daily walnut consumption positively impacts blood cholesterol levels without adverse effects on body weight among older adults.

The study involved 707 healthy older adults of whom some were told to add significant daily amounts of walnuts (~15% of caloric intake) to their usual diet. They were not given any advice on what they should be eating, apart from that.

After a year, a comparison of the two groups found that those eating the walnuts were not any heavier than those who hadn't included walnuts in their diet, but the walnut-diet resulted in significant reductions in LDL cholesterol. There was minimal effect on triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.

Another study reported at the conference found that daily consumption of 1.5 ounces of walnuts significantly affected the bacteria in the human gut in a way that was favorable to decreasing inflammation and cholesterol. This was a small study involving only 18 healthy adults. However, a 2015 study with rats similarly found that a diet with walnuts had a significant effect on gut bacteria communities.

Walnuts are unique among nuts in being primarily composed of polyunsaturated fat. This includes alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, which is known to reduce inflammation. Walnuts are the only nut that contain a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid.

Walnuts are also said to be an excellent source of antioxidants — indeed, second only to blackberries.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/es-nri040116.php

Ros E, Rajaram S, Sala-Vila A, et al. Effect of a 1-Year Walnut Supplementation on Blood Lipids among Older Individuals: Findings from the Walnuts and Healthy Aging (WAHA) study [abstract]. FASEB J. 2016;30(Supp 1)293.4. Available at: http://www.fasebj.org/content/30/1_Supplement/293.4.abstract

Guetterman HM, Swanson KS, Novotny JA, et al. Walnut Consumption Influences the Human Gut Microbiome [abstract]. FASEB J. 2016;30(Supp 1)406.2. Available at: http://www.fasebj.org/content/30/1_Supplement/406.2.abstract

Vinson, JA & Cai, Y. (2012) Nuts, especially walnuts, have both antioxidant quantity and efficacy and exhibit significant potential health benefits. Food & Function, 3(2), 134-140 . http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2012/FO/C2FO10152A#!divAbstract

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