Whilst walnuts (Juglans regia L.) conjure up country teas with coffee and walnut cake, there is continued interest in consumption of this nut which might protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Up to 5 million US citizens suffer the condition as do many more in Europe and it is debilitating and a drain on health resources.
Why the interest ? It’s an animal study which showed that a diet rich in this nut might have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk or reducing what has become a major issue for the elderly. Studies lead by Abha Chauban at the NYS Inst. for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, New York, using a mouse model found some promising leads based on earlier research. That research raised the prospect of a protective effect due to the antioxidant effect of walnuts in reducing the oxidative damage from the amyloid beta protein which is linked with Alzheimer’s Disease (Chauban et al., 2004; Chauhan & Chauhan, 2012).
These new in vitro studies (Muthaiyah et al., 2014) showed that mice ingesting a walnut extract rich diet reduced the formation of fibrils which for want of a better phrase clog up the brain, and even helped disperse them. They also found improvements in memory, learning abilities, better motor use and development, and less anxiety.
The mice were fed either 6% or 9% of their body weight with walnuts which is equivalent to 1 oz. or 1.5 oz per day for an adult.
The postulated mechanisms are linked to the high antioxidant levels in walnuts which is about 3.7 mmol per ounce. Antioxidants have been credited with many other health benefits ranging from ameliorating cardiovascular issues which is also associated with increased consumption of walnuts (Kwak et al., 2014) to better skin care.
Walnuts belong to that group of foods rich in polyphenols and antioxidants as well as a wealth of minerals and are widely linked with better health. The brain needs neuroprotective compounds which walnuts abound in. There may some profound irony in a nut with the shape of a brain – like a pointer of benefits to come.
Reference
Chauhan, A., & Chauhan, V. (2012). Potential Beneficial Effects of a Diet with Walnuts in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease. In: Brain Aging and Therapeutic Interventions Springer Netherlands. Chapt. 16 pp. 239-252).
Chauhan, N., Wang, K. C., Wegiel, J., & Malik, M. N. (2004). Walnut extract inhibits the fibrillization of amyloid beta-protein, and also defibrillizes its preformed fibrils. Current Alzheimer Research, 1(3), pp. 183-188.
Kwak, J. S., & Kwon, O. (2014). The effect of walnut (Juglans regia L.) intake on improvement of blood lipid levels and vascular health: A meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition and Health, 47(4), pp. 236-246.
Muthaiyah, B., Essa, M. M., Lee, M., Chauhan, V., Kaur, K., & Chauhan, A. (2014). Dietary Supplementation of Walnuts Improves Memory Deficits and Learning Skills in Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. J Alzheimer’s Disease. IOS Press DOI: 10.3233/JAD-140675
Yes – I’ve been eating walnuts on a regular basis and knew about this having seen the article myself on the web. Just wondrin about almonds and other nut cos I go down to the health food shops in town and they keep selling me pumpkin seeds which I like but I’m not sure they are really as good as they told me to eat about 1 oz. a day. Jeez. I nearly wept as it will cost me loads of dollars. I had a couple of glasses of wine by the way which means I’m not writing as well as usual. Anyway, I like your site, cool but it’s a bit too sciency? Can you include recipes for walnuts as I have loads for almonds !
Hi Janey,
I’d lay off eating too many pumpkin seeds although they are a great snack ! I know there was an EFSA recommendation on eating 6g walnuts per day and I think the research on this nut is simply going to grow. It was being reported in August 2016 that the high ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) content meant it helped ‘reduce’ inflammation when combined with other foods such as cherries, raspberries and green tea. I know the antioxidant theory is not as strong a concept as it used to be but I still think there is plenty to say about the fatty acid components in nuts generally which help.
We’ve started eating a small amount of these nuts in granola for breakfast because we knew it was good for us. I’d love to say a glass or two of red wine helps daily but that is too much and my writing goes to pot too ! I’m always looking for new evidence about food linked to reducing the impact on memory loss. We also try it in bread which admittedly turns it much darker than we would like.
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