Do you really want to boost your health? Eat walnuts!

I know the peanut butter mania is still going on, but trust me, almonds and most walnuts have better health benefits. Plus, your flavored and unflavored butters are killing your progress because none of you can stand to eat only a few spoonfuls a day, but rather eat it in pixels. The treat then becomes a calorie bomb, so if you're bulking, you're gaining fat and if dieting, you're not losing weight. The most an ectomorph who is bone and skin and has trouble gaining a deco of muscle can afford to do is not watch the calories. From my own experience, I have switched to nuts and walnuts in particular. Firstly, they are nutritionally the best, then I have to shell them and thus I eat more easily the prescribed amount of health per day and the calories are under control. Healthy foods are fine, but that doesn't mean we can eat them by the pound. Then they do more harm than good. Plus, flavored butters with sweeteners and other additives are far from healthy.

To say that walnuts are nutritious is a bit of an understatement. Although they provide healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, that's just the beginning of how they can support your health. Check out all the benefits and you'll find that including them in optimal amounts in your diet is well worth it.

RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS

Walnuts have higher antioxidant activity than any other nut. This activity comes from vitamin E, melatonin, and plant compounds called polyphenols, which are particularly high in the nuts' paper shell. A preliminary small study in healthy adults showed that eating a nut-rich diet prevents oxidative damage to "bad" LDL cholesterol after a meal. This is beneficial because oxidized LDL cholesterol is prone to plaque formation in your arteries, causing atherosclerosis.

A GREAT PLANT SOURCE OF OMEGA-3

Walnuts contain significantly more omega-3 fats than any other nut. Specifically, they provide 2.5 grams of omega per 28-gram serving. Omega-3 from plants, including walnuts, is called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It's an essential fat, which means you need to get it from your diet. According to the Institute of Medicine, the adequate intake of ALA is 1.6 and 1.1 grams per day for men and women, which is met by the aforementioned one serving of walnuts. Observational studies have shown that every gram of ALA you eat per day reduces your risk of death from heart disease by 10%.

CAN REDUCE INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is the cause of many diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and can be caused by oxidative stress. Polyphenols in walnuts can help fight this oxidative stress and inflammation. A subset of polyphenols called ellagitannins may be particularly beneficial. Beneficial bacteria in the gut convert ellagitannins into compounds called urolithins, which have been found to protect against inflammation. ALA omega-3 fat, magnesium and arginine, contained in nuts, may also reduce inflammation.

SUPPORT GUT HEALTH

Studies suggest that if your gut is rich in health-promoting bacteria and other microbes (your gut microbiota), you are more likely to have a healthy gut and good overall health. An unhealthy composition of your microbiota can contribute to inflammation and bowel disease, increasing your risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer. What you eat can greatly affect the makeup of your microbiota (replaces the former term "microbiota" and represents the community of microorganisms in various host organs). Eating nuts may be one way to support the health of your microbiota and your gut.

When 194 healthy adults ate 43 grams of walnuts a day for 8 weeks, they had an increase in beneficial probiotic bacteria compared to the group without nuts. This included an increase in the number of bacteria that produce butyrate, which is a fat that nourishes your gut and promotes gut health.

MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF CERTAIN CANCERS

Experimental studies in animals and humans suggest that eating nuts may reduce the risk of some cancers, including breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. As mentioned above, walnuts are rich in the polyphenol ellagitannins. Some gut microbes can convert these compounds into compounds called urolithins. Urolithins may have anti-inflammatory properties in the gut, which may be one way nuts help protect against colon cancer. Urolithin's anti-inflammatory effects may also help protect against other cancers.

In addition, urolithins have hormonal properties that allow them to block hormone receptors in your body. This can help reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers, specifically breast and prostate cancer. More human studies are needed to confirm the effects of eating walnuts on reducing the risk of these and other cancers, as well as to clarify any ways or mechanisms by which they may help.

SUPPORT WEIGHT CONTROL

Walnuts are caloric, but studies suggest that the energy absorbed from them is 21% lower than would be expected based on their nutrients. What's more, eating walnuts may even help control your appetite.

In a well-controlled study of ten obese people who drank a smooth substance made from nuts (48 grams) daily for five days, it reduced appetite and hunger compared to a placebo that contained the same amount of nutrients and calories. In addition, after five days of walnut consumption, brain scans showed that participants increased activity in an area of the brain that helped them resist highly tempting foods such as cakes and chips. Although larger and longer-term studies are needed, this provides some initial insight into how nuts may help control appetite and weight.

THEY CAN HELP MANAGE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF DIABETES 2

Observational studies suggest that one reason walnuts are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes is that they help control weight. Being overweight increases the risk of high blood sugar and diabetes. Yet, walnuts may also have direct effects on blood sugar control.

In a controlled study with 100 patients with type 2 diabetes, consuming one tablespoon of cold-pressed walnut oil daily for 3 months while continuing their usual diabetes treatment and a balanced diet resulted in an 8% reduction in fasting blood sugar. In addition, walnut oil users had an 8% reduction in hemoglobin A1C (average blood sugar).

MAY HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Some studies suggest that eating nuts can help lower blood pressure, even in people with high blood pressure and in healthy people who are stressed. Other studies have not found this effect.

Among others, the four-year PREDIMED study tested a Mediterranean diet supplemented with 28 grams of nuts a day in about 7,500 adults at high risk of heart disease. At the end of the study, people on the nut-enriched Mediterranean diet had a greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (bottom line) than people on a similar healthy control diet that was not supplemented with nuts. This suggests that nuts may slightly improve the blood pressure benefit of a healthy diet. This is important because small differences in blood pressure are thought to have a big effect on your risk of dying from heart disease.

PROMOTE HEALTHY AGEING

As you age, good physical functioning is essential to maintaining your mobility and independence. One thing that can help maintain your physical abilities is healthy eating habits.

In an observational study of more than 50,000 older women, researchers found that those who had a healthy diet had a 13% lower risk of physical impairment. Nuts were among the foods that contributed most to a healthy diet. Although they are high in calories, walnuts are full of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, fats and plant compounds that can help with good health and fitness in older age.

SUPPORT BRAIN FUNCTION

It may just be a coincidence that the shell of a walnut looks like a small brain, but research suggests that the walnut may actually be good for your mind.

Studies have found that nutrients in walnuts, including polyunsaturated fats, polyphenols, and vitamin E, can help reduce oxidative damage and inflammation in the brain. In a ten-month Alzheimer's disease study, they fed mice 6-9% of their calories from walnuts (equivalent to 28-45 grams per day in humans) and they had significant improvements in learning, memory, and reduced anxiety, compared to a control group without walnuts.

Observational studies in older adults have linked eating walnuts to improved brain function, including better processing speed, greater mental flexibility, and better memory. Although these results are encouraging, further studies testing the effects of walnuts on brain function in humans are needed to draw accurate conclusions.

SUPPORT MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The typical Western diet, high in processed foods, sugar and refined grains, is associated with reduced sperm function. The inclusion of nuts can help support sperm health and male fertility.

When 117 healthy young men included a daily dose of 75 grams of walnuts in their diet for three months, they improved sperm shape, vitality and mobility compared to men who did not eat nuts. Animal research suggests that eating walnuts may help protect sperm by reducing oxidative damage in their membranes. More studies are needed to confirm these benefits, but if you're a man concerned about fertility, eating nuts is a simple thing to try.

IMPROVE BLOOD FATS

Elevated levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides have long been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Regular consumption of walnuts has consistently been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

For example, in a recent study of 194 healthy adults, consuming 40 grams of walnuts per day for 8 weeks caused a 5% decrease in total cholesterol, a 5% decrease in LDL cholesterol, and a 5% decrease in triglycerides, compared to a group that did not consume walnuts. The nut eaters also had a nearly 6% drop in apolipoprotein-B, an indicator of how many LDL particles are in your blood. When levels are elevated, apolipoprotein-B is a major risk factor for heart disease.

CONCLUSION

Walnuts are exceptionally nutritious nuts. They have higher antioxidant activity and significantly more healthy omega-3 fats than any other common nut. This rich nutritional profile contributes to the many health benefits associated with walnuts, such as reduced inflammation and improved risk factors for heart disease. Scientists are still uncovering the many ways that the plant compounds in walnuts, including polyphenols, may interact with your gut flora and contribute to your health. You'll likely hear more and more about walnuts in the coming years as more studies investigate their health benefits. But there are plenty of reasons to include them in your meals today. However, don't forget to eat a healthy diet overall and adequate calorie intake.

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