How Walnuts Help Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
Nutrient Content
Vitamins
A Source of:
- Vitamin B6- 8%
- Folate- 7%
- Thiamin- 6%
Minerals
Excellent Source of:
- Manganese- 48%
- Copper- 22%
Good Source of:
- Magnesium- 11%
- Phosphorus- 10%
Also a Source of:
- Iron – 5%
- Potassium- 4%
Other
Also a Source of:
- Fiber- 9%
- Antioxidants – Chlorogenic Acid
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids
- Omega 6 Fatty Acids
- Phytosterols
*All nutritional Info From (1)
How Walnuts Prevent Chronic Disease
Nuts in general are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Walnuts would rank near the top of all nuts due to its high antioxidant and omega 3 content, useful for the prevention of chronic diseases.
How Walnuts Prevent Cancer
According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, all nuts display cancer-preventative properties, and general nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of colorectal, pancreatic, and endometrial cancers (2).
- Walnuts have been extensively studied due to their unique nutritional profile, specifically their omega 3 fatty acids, tocopherols, β-sitosterol, and pedunculagin content.
- Tocopherols are antioxidants that have been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals found in your cells that can damage your DNA and lead to cancer. Tocopherols have been shown to suppress the growth, kill, or limit the spread of colon, gastric, lung, breast, and prostate cancers (3).
- The antioxidants found in walnuts were found to be 2-15x more powerful than vitamin E, which is considered one of the best antioxidants. It is believed that the combination of nutrients in walnuts enhance their antioxidative effects (4).
How Walnuts Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
- Walnuts are a good source of magnesium and also contain some potassium. These nutrients directly combat rises in blood pressure to help prevent hypertension, a major risk factor of heart attack and stroke (5,6).
- Walnuts have been shown to reduce you risk of Cardiovascular Disease by 19%, Coronary Artery Disease by 21%, and Stroke by 17% (7).
- A major reason for this is the high levels of omega 3s found in walnuts. Omega 3 consumption is associated with increased good HDL cholesterol and reduction of plaque in the arteries.
- Walnuts are also an excellent source of copper. Copper deficiency is one of the major risk factors of ischemic heart disease, or the narrowing of the artery (8).
How Walnuts Prevent Diabetes
- Nuts in general, are a great resource for the prevention of diabetes. They contain very limited amounts of carbs and have a lot of healthy fats. Because they are low in carbs, they do not raise blood sugar levels. The omega 6 fatty acids found in walnuts have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes (9).
- Walnuts are also a good source of fiber and protein. These help to fill you faster and keep you fuller for longer to prevent overeating. They also slow blood sugar absorption by slowing digestion. Diabetes is often cause by consistenly high spikes in blood sugar leading to insulin resistance (10).
Walnuts Promote a Number of Health Benefits
Walnuts for Mental Health
Those that consumed nuts compared to those that did not reported lower depressive symptoms. When comparing walnuts to other nuts, walnuts were the most effective at lowering the symptoms (11).
- Omega 3 consumption is associated with improved mental and cognitive states. Typically omega 3s found in plant sources are not large enough to show significant benefits due to inefficient conversions once in the body, but walnuts contain extremely large amounts of omega 3s and have been shown to have a substantial impact (12).
- Regular walnut consumption is also shown to slow progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (13).
How Walnuts Support Healthy Aging and Longevity
Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to impact skin health as they prevent damage through their antioxidant properties.
Regular consumption of nuts was shown to reduce all-cause mortality by 20% (14).
How Walnuts Promote Immune Health
A key component of immune function is a healthy gut microbiome. The good bacteria in the gut support functions of your immune system and its ability to fight off infection. A study showed that walnut consumption had a positive impact on good gut bacterial strains (15).
How Walnuts Promote Brain Function
In one animal study, walnut consumption was associated with increased levels of learning and memory (16).
English 
Español