Eating walnuts is linked to many health benefits. Walnuts are very rich in nutrients, good fats and bioactive compounds.
Walnuts contain high quality vegetable proteins as well as fibers, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, tocopherol, vital sterols and phenolic compounds, polyphenols and alpha-linoleic acid. Researchers at Harvard University claim that walnuts offer protection for cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammations and free radicals.
Epidemiological studies showed that persons who consume walnuts regularly have a lower chance for developing arterial heart disease, diabetes and gallstone. Other researchers associated to the consumption of walnuts with beneficial effects on hypertension, cancer and inflammations.
Consuming walnuts reduce the arterial tension and the response of the arterial tension to stress, reduces abdominal fat and speeds up metabolism.
Walnuts don’t cause weight gain; on the contrary, according to epidemiological studies, they help losing weight. Due to their fiber and protein content, walnuts reduce the appetite and maintain a sensation of fullness. They improve the profile of the lipids, inflammatory processes, oxidative stress and vascular reactivity, and they control glycemia.
International studies have proven that nuts reduce cholesterol and help remove plaques from the arteries.
Researchers of social and preventive medicine demonstrated that walnuts have an extraordinary impact on health, and they can even prevent a premature death.
A study including a 7260 persons with high cardiovascular risk has shown that persons who consumed one to three servings of walnuts per week had a significant reduction of mortality rate compared to persons who didn’t consume nuts at all. A serving is about to 30 g of walnuts.
Two ample studies performed at Harvard University for a duration of 30 years and including 120,000 people showed that persons who eat walnuts every day live longer and have a healthier life than those who don’t.
More precisely, walnut consumers are at a lower risk for mortality because of a heart disease, some respiratory diseases and some types of cancer. The more frequent the consumption of walnuts, the lower is the risk of premature death.
Due to their high content of omega-3 fatty acids, walnuts protect the brains of newborn babies, improve cognitive performance in adults and prevent cognitive failure at elderly.