Use Your Walnut!

Ah yes, the humble walnut: delicious, nutritious and shaped like a brain. Now it turns out that the appearance of walnuts hints at what they are good for.

A review of 15 research papers comprising seven cross-sectional and eight prospective cohort studies examined the relationship between nut consumption and cognitive activity. Among the studies, 13 demonstrated a positive correlation between nut intake and cognitive function.

One of these studies was a cross-sectional investigation studying the connection of nut consumption with cognitive performance, and was part of the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) project. This study examined the relationship between the consumption of different diets and cognitive function. Only coffee, olive oil, wine, and walnuts, but not total nuts, were associated with improved cognitive function, irrespective of recognised risk factors for cognitive decline and other dietary consumption.

In terms of specific types of nuts, walnuts were the most examined and were reported to be connected with improved cognitive performance compared to low or non-consumers. However, most studies analysed the total nut intake as a whole and either did not or could not differentiate the analyses according to the different varieties of nuts.

Given the possible cognitive health benefits of nuts, and walnuts in particular, their use as part of a healthy diet may provide a public health strategy for preventing cognitive decline in most people. Time to get cracking, folks, and enjoy some walnuts!

Adapted from “The effect of nut exposure on cognitive performance” by Bhavana Kunkalikar, published in Nutrients.

• Topics:

• Food
• Health & Wellbeing