Recent Scientific Findings on the Heart-Healthy Benefits of Walnuts
Recent scientific evidence highlights walnuts as one of the top foods for heart-healthy antioxidant support. Researchers at the University of Scranton evaluated the nutritional and antioxidant properties of nine types of nuts. Their findings ranked walnuts above other healthy options like almonds, pecans, peanuts, and pistachios. A single handful of walnuts contains twice as many heart-healthy antioxidants as any other commonly purchased nut.
In a 2011 presentation at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in California, the scientists explained further. Walnuts contain a unique mix of free-radical neutralizing antioxidants and the highest quality of antioxidants among all nuts tested. The study examined both the quantity and quality of antioxidants in walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, and pecans.
The results were clear: Walnuts have the highest amount and potency of antioxidants compared to other popular nuts. The study also revealed that the antioxidant potency of walnuts is up to 15 times greater than that of vitamin E, an oil known for its strong antioxidant properties. This suggests that walnuts might help prevent diseases linked to free radicals.
What the Walnut Has That Other Nuts Don’t
Walnuts offer a unique combination of health benefits. They provide the best quality antioxidants among most tree and ground nuts. They are also a complete high-quality protein, nearly matching the nutritional value of meat. Additionally, they are rich in vitamins and minerals and offer a natural form of dietary fiber that is easy to consume.
Due to these impressive health benefits, the scientists encourage us to include more walnuts in our diet. The best way to consume them is raw and organic to maximize their antioxidant benefits. Years of research indicate that regularly eating small amounts of nuts, such as walnuts, is linked to lower levels of heart disease, blood sugar issues, gallstones, and other serious health conditions.
Professor Joe Vinson, who led the study, emphasized this in a statement to the American Chemical Society: “A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as many antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don’t eat a lot of them. This study suggests that consumers should eat more walnuts as part of a healthy diet.”
Vinson advises eating raw walnuts—or other raw nuts—to gain their full antioxidant benefits. “There’s another advantage in choosing walnuts as a source of antioxidants. The heat from roasting nuts generally reduces the quality of the antioxidants.”
Vinson’s research indicates that nuts only make up 8 percent of the antioxidants in the average person’s daily diet. This may be due to a lack of awareness about their health benefits or the misconception that nuts should be avoided because they are high in fat and calories. In reality, the fats in nuts are healthy forms of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which do not clog arteries and are beneficial for health.
According to Vinson, consuming just seven walnuts a day is enough to gain the antioxidant health benefits identified in his study. Despite this, most people do not eat enough nuts regularly.
