Walnuts are one of the most talked
about nuts in the health community, especially when it comes to heart
health. Some earlier studies have
suggested that the walnut has the ability to slow prostate cancer, reduce
cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, oxidative stress and even
inflammatory markers. That’s one
powerful nut!
Dr. David Katz of Yale University’s
Prevention Research Center began a study in which he further explored a few of
these claims. His study involved
individuals with a relatively high risk of developing diabetes. The participants were split into two groups,
one received nutrition counseling to implement a lower calorie diet while the
other group received no nutrition counseling.
Each group was further split into two subgroups, one consuming 56g of
walnuts per day, and one completely abstaining from consuming walnuts
altogether.
The results? The group consuming walnuts showed an
improvement in epithelial functioning as well as a reduction in LDL
cholesterol. Interestingly enough, these
benefits were achieved in both groups, those with a controlled amount of
calories as well as the group who implemented no caloric restriction. However, this study was funded by the
California Walnut Commission, so to avoid bias, further studies should be
conducted.
The takeaway? Walnuts are an excellent addition to any
diet. They are packed with more, and
according to the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania’s researcher Joe
Vinson, PhD, better-quality antioxidants than many other popular nuts. Walnuts are also filled with healthy fats
that keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day. Most importantly, they taste delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment