1. Cancer-Fighting Properties
Walnuts may help reduce not only the risk
of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well. In one study, mice that ate the
human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of whole walnuts for 18 weeks had significantly
smaller and slower-growing prostate tumors compared to the control group that
consumed the same amount of fat but from other sources.
2. Heart Health
Walnuts contain
the amino acid, arginine which offers multiple vascular benefits to people
with heart disease, or those who have increased risk for heart disease due to
multiple cardiac risk factors.
If you struggle with herpes, you may want
to avoid or limit walnuts, as high levels of arginine can deplete the amino
acid lysine, which can trigger herpes recurrences.
3. Rare and Powerful Antioxidants
Antioxidants are crucial to your health,
as they are believed to help control how fast you age by combating free
radicals, which are at the heart of age-related deterioration.
Walnuts contain several unique and
powerful antioxidants that are available in only a few commonly eaten foods.
This includes the quinone juglone, the tannin tellimagrandin, and the flavonol
morin.
4. Weight Control
Adding healthful amounts of nuts such as
walnuts to your diet can help you to maintain your ideal weight over time. In
one review of 31 trials, those whose diets included extra nuts or nuts
substituted for other foods lost about 1.4 extra pounds and half an inch from
their waists. Eating walnuts is also associated with increased satiety after
just three days
5. Improved Reproductive Health in
Men
One of the lesser-known benefits of
walnuts is their impact on male fertility. Among men who consume a
Western-style diet, adding 75 grams (a bit over one-half cup) of walnuts daily
significantly improved sperm quality, including vitality, motility, and
morphology .
6. Brain Health
Walnuts contain a number of
neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E,
folate, melatonin, omega-3 fats, and antioxidants. Research shows
walnut consumption may support brain health, including increasing inferential
reasoning in young adults.
One study also found that consuming
high-antioxidant foods like walnuts "can decrease the enhanced
vulnerability to oxidative stress that occurs in aging," "increase
health span," and also "enhance cognitive and motor function in aging.
7. Diabetes
The beneficial dietary fat in walnuts has
been shown to improve metabolic parameters in people with type 2 diabetes.
Overweight adults with type 2 diabetes who ate one-quarter cup of walnuts daily
had significant reductions in fasting insulin levels compared to those who did
not, and the benefit was achieved in the first three months.