The Benefits and properties of walnuts Are numerous: fight cancer, improve heart health, reduce the risk of diabetes, help to lose weight and have a healthy mind...
As they say, good comes in small bottle. This is the case of walnut, a food simple and small but it is highly positive and recommended to put in our diet.
In general, the family of nuts, is a goldmine translated to the well-being of our body, but the walnut could qualify as one of the best.
Nuts like walnuts are an ideal source of protein, healthy fats, fiber, plant sterols, antioxidants, and many essential vitamins and minerals for our body.
Within the field of nuts, the walnut could be the jewel of the crown as it is backed by multiple scientific research and your comfort to choose the amount to be taken.
By simply taking around seven shelled nuts we could take advantage of most of their large properties.
Properties and benefits of walnuts
1) Cancer-fighting properties
The high percentage of antioxidants and nutrients found in walnuts has been shown to help prevent the risk of cancer.
Research suggests that nut intake reduces the risk of cancer by as much as 30-40% in cases of prostate And up to 50% in the Breast cancer .
Some of the properties of walnut that favor cancer prevention are the Vitamin E (And more specifically the so-called gamma-tocopherol) and the reduction it makes of endothelin levels.
Gamma-tocopherol (very abundant in nuts) has been shown to help fight breast, lung, and prostate cancer.
Also, nuts reduce levels of endothelin, a compound that increases inflammation of blood vessels.
The Omega-3 fatty acids , Along with the phytosterols found in nuts have been shown to help slow the growth of breast cancer tumors.
According to researcher W. Elaine Hardman of Marshall University of Medicine,"Phytosterols bind to estrogen receptors, so it could slow down the growth of breast cancers."
Studies from the Harvard Medical School point out that a diet that includes nuts can slow the growth of the colorectal tumor by causing beneficial changes in cancer genes.
"Our research shows that a diet with nuts causes significant changes in the expression profile of localized colorectal cancer tissues. A nut diet incorporates protective fatty acids into the colon tumor either through its direct effects or through the additive or synergistic effects of other multiple compounds present in nuts,"notes Christos Mantzoros of Harvard.
"Although future studies are needed, we are optimistic about the role of miRNAs as biomarkers of disease and prognosis. They may show a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of colorectal cancer."
2) Benefits for the heart
Most walnut studies have focused on the benefits of this for the heart and circulatory system.
Walnuts contain amino acids such as L-arginine, which offer multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease or those at increased risk for heart disease.
In the case of having herpes, it is possible that it is best to avoid or limit nuts, since high levels of arginine can deplete the amino acid lysine, which can trigger herpes recurrences.
Walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid and vegetable fat which is anti-inflammatory and can prevent the formation of pathological blood clots.
Different research shows that people who consume a diet rich in vegetable fats are less likely to have a heart attack (about 50% less).
Eating only four walnuts a day significantly increases blood levels of heart-healthy vegetable fat and maintains healthy cholesterol levels.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated the health benefits of heart walnuts in 365 participants, who were monitored during control diets and diets supplemented with nuts. The results showed a significantly greater reduction in total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol.
3) Reduce the risk of diabetes
Nut consumption has been shown to be directly related to the possibility of reducing the risk of suffering type 2 diabetes .
According to the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association conducted exclusively for women, it is pointed out that the benefits of these nuts could be extended to the entire population.
In total, 84,000 North Americans aged between 34 and 59 years were evaluated over a 16-year period. Women who ate about 28 grams daily (the equivalent of walnuts that fit in a fist) at least five times a week had about a 27% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If consumption was limited to an average of 1 to 4 times a week, the risk decreased by 16% compared to those who had not tried them.
The results clarify that walnuts should not be added to the diet without further ado, but should replace other foods to avoid calorie consumption 'firing.
Yale University conducted further research with twenty-four adults who had diabetes. The study consisted of including two ounces of nuts in their usual diet. After eight weeks, blood flow and endothelial function improved significantly.
4) The best antioxidant
Antioxidants are an essential component of our health. These, prevent excessive cellular aging and aging.
We live in a world that moves faster and faster and demands more and more. Our life is full of chaotic situations that lead to physical and mental, so a small dose of antioxidants is essential in our diet.
Small amounts are needed that vary according to different conditions such as age, physical activity, eating habits and health conditions.
Walnuts contain several unique and powerful antioxidants found only in a few common foods. These include quinone juglone, tellimagrandin tannin and morin flavonol.
In addition, it has antioxidants so powerful to eradicate free radicals that has caught the attention of scientists.
Research has shown that walnut polyphenols can help prevent chemically induced liver damage.
In one of the latest researches, the polyphenols of walnuts had the best efficacy between the tested nuts and the highest amount of lipoprotein activity.
As a conclusion of this, it can be said that Nuts are rich in antioxidant polyphenol, which linked to Lipoproteins Inhibits the oxidative process leading to atherosclerosis in vivo. In studies of human supplementation it has been shown that nuts improve the lipid profile, increase endothelial function and reduce inflammation, all without causing weight gain.
5) It helps to have a healthy mind
Walnuts contain a number of neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folic acid , Melatonin , Omega-3 fats and antioxidants.
Various scientific sources show that nut consumption can help mental health, including increased inferential reasoning in young people.
One study also found that eating foods high in antioxidants such as nuts may decrease the vulnerability of oxidative stress that occurs with aging , Increase the health gap, and also improve the Cognitive function And motor of the aging.
As recently tested by neuroscientists at Boston University (USA), adding nuts to our diet improves the performance of tasks that need motor skills.
This is because it improves the connection between neurons by their high content in polyphenols and other antioxidants.
A study recently released in the journal Neurochemical Research suggested that nut extract (the dried fruit once its fiber is removed) has protective effects against oxidative stress and cell death that occur in the brains of patients with Alzherimer . And all thanks to its content in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid of vegetable origin.
Neurochemical Research reported that nut extract (the dried fruit once its fiber is removed) has protective effects against the oxidative stress and cell death that occur in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
The main cause of this is its content in alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid of vegetable origin.
6) Get a Flat Belly
Years ago, if your goal was to lose weight, nuts were understood as a food to avoid. Instead, more and more are nutritionists who recommend them as a fundamental part of the weight loss plan.
They contrast their results of taking a handful of nuts a day for abdominal reduction and fat in that area.
Recent studies by the University of Barcelona published in the Journal of Proteome Research indicate that taking 30 grams of walnut per day for 12 weeks increases the levels of Serotonin of the body , Lowers blood sugar levels, and reduces hunger.
Despite concentrating energies and containing fats, their nutritional quality and consumption in small amounts daily can improve cardiovascular risk factors and thereby help to lose belly fat and treat obesity and its associated diseases.
Although it contains fats and a good amount of energy, its consumption in small quantities daily helps to lose belly, improves cardiovascular risk factors, and its associated diseases.
If it is very monotonous to take them raw, being a food of small size and a taste not too strong, can be easily included in our diet by means of salads or included in a meal.
7) Increases fertility in healthy men
One of the great secrets of nuts is their possible impact on male fertility in men who eat a Western-style diet.
Adding 75 grams (a little more than half a cup) daily, significantly improves sperm quality, including vitality, mobility and morphology.
Nuts could improve sperm quality in healthy men according to various studies, but now, researchers want to know if they help men with fertility problems.
Their study, based on the evidence that men's dietary habits and lifestyle could affect their fertility.
Nuts are the only nuts with appreciable levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which some studies of male infertility relate to the qualitative improvement of sperm, says researcher Wendie Robbins of the Fielding UCLA School of Public Health.
Tests in both animals and humans have shown that omega-3 fats and other polyunsaturated fatty acids"play a critical role in sperm maturation and membrane function,"says Robbins.
Previous research has shown that men with"poor"sperm noticed improvement after taking fish oil supplements rich in omega-3 fats.
A study published in the journal Human Reproduction found that the high consumption of omega-3 fats was related to the increase in normal sperm size, while the high intake of saturated fats was associated with lower sperm concentration.