The incredible walnut

[Hum]

;) This isn't a most recent story, but worth a read:

They can cut your risk of heart attack and diabetes, ease stress, prevent Alzheimer?s, breast and prostate cancer, lower cholesterol ? and might even improve your sex life. So pretty impressive.

Yet this isn?t an expensive supplement, brilliant new drug or trendy superfood, but the humble walnut ? a staple of Waldorf salads and Christmas stockings, but which haven?t enjoyed the popularity of peanuts or brazil nuts (perhaps because they are usually eaten plain, rather than salted or coated with chocolate).

But with new research revealing that walnuts contain more protective antioxidants than any other nut (antioxidants combat harmful free radicals ? the disease-causing waste chemicals produced by our bodies as by-products of respiration, digestion and the action of muscles), attention has shifted on to these brown knobbly kernels.

While many are just cottoning on to the health benefits of walnuts, their medicinal properties were well known to physicians practising many centuries ago.

In Ancient Greece and medieval Britain, doctors used walnuts to treat mental illness and headaches, believing that the nut?s skull-like shell and brain-shaped kernel symbolised its magical curative powers.

The Romans thought that walnuts were a sex medicine, enhancing both desire and fertility, and scattered them over wedding couples like confetti.

While there is no solid evidence that walnuts do boost fertility, humans have relied on the nuts for sustenance for thousands of years. With a hefty dose of protein and fat, conveniently stored in its own shell, they helped hunter-gatherers to survive long winters in their caves.

Archaeological digs reveal they were eaten by humans in France possibly as many as 17,000 years ago. Today, the slightly bitter nut is still immensely popular in the Dordogne region, where, despite a diet high in foie gras and other animal fats, the residents enjoy the second-lowest rate of heart disease in the world.

Studies are continuing into why walnuts have such strong curative powers, but Professor Elaine Hardman, of Marshall University School of Medicine in West Virginia, who led a study into the effect of walnuts on breast cancer, says it may be down to walnuts? high content of essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols ? unsaturated fats which seem to slow or prevent the development of tumours.

A laboratory study presented to the American Association for Cancer Research in 2009 found that mice fed the human equivalent of 2 oz of walnuts a day significantly decreased their rate of breast cancer.

Similarly, a University of California study has found that male mice fed the equivalent of 14 nuts a week had far lower rates of prostate cancer.

A 2009 study by Tufts University in Boston also found that diets rich in the nuts seem to stave off dementia, while enhancing memory and other brain functions.

The research found that aged rats could navigate mazes better when put on a diet containing moderate amounts of walnuts, while researchers in Israel found last month that a diet rich in the omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts significantly reduced the negative effects of one of the genes associated with Alzheimer?s disease.

Walnuts contain a particular kind of omega-3 fatty acid, called alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which seems to have special benefits for body and brain ? even helping humans to deal with the stresses of modern life.

Last October, investigators at Pennsylvania State University revealed research showing that the ALA in walnuts decrease the cardiovascular reactions which happen in our bodies when we feel under pressure. Such heightened responses can put us at much greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

For the study, volunteers were asked to give a three-minute speech or to immerse one foot in cold water ? both of which are triggers for stress. Those who?d eaten walnuts had lower blood pressure throughout.

Perhaps that?s one reason why we love eating walnuts so much at Christmas. Their mood-protecting powers may prove vital when family celebrations turn fraught.

And the nuts can also help our bodies to survive the rich festive food. The ALAs in walnuts seem to help our bodies to raise their levels of ?good? HDL cholesterol, which helps to protect our arteries.

On top of this, a study of 520,000 Europeans published this month in the medical journal Gut says that ALAs from walnuts may lower cholesterol in a manner that protects against bowel cancer.

But walnuts aren?t just for Christmas: they make a fine food all year round. They make a tasty substitute for pine nuts in pesto; crushed into muesli, they bring an extra dimension to a hearty breakfast; and who can resist a moist slice of walnut cake?

The nut?s connection with these shores is long-lived. While California is now one of the world?s most important growers, the nut is originally from western Turkey. The ancient Greeks learnt how to cultivate walnut trees, and the Romans adopted this skill in around 100 BC, bringing it to Britain with their legions.

English merchants traded the tree around the world, so that it became known as the ?English walnut?.

In California, walnuts have been grown since the 1700s, brought to the state by Franciscan missionaries. Now, California grows 60 per cent of the world?s English walnuts ? more than 303,000 tons a year.

Given all these health benefits, it might seem surprising that we don?t all stuff ourselves with walnuts. But like all good things, they do have their drawbacks.

Most off-putting is their calorie count: two handfuls contain 650 calories. The new research suggests we eat seven kernels a day at most.

In fact, eating nuts does not appear to cause weight gain. On the contrary, it can make people feel full and less likely to over-eat. In a 2009 American study, nut consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of obesity.

And then there is the question of cost. Over the past two years, walnuts have steadily risen in price.

For that, you can blame China, which used to be a major exporter. But its rapidly growing economy has created ever-more-affluent domestic consumers, with wider culinary tastes.

As a result, the country has started importing walnuts to meet domestic demand, sending world prices spiraling upwards.

The only other investment you might need to make is a decent nut-cracker. American President George Washington blamed his poor dental health on breaking open walnut shells with his teeth.

source

[Astra.Xtreme]

In fact, eating nuts does not appear to cause weight gain. On the contrary, it can make people feel full and less likely to over-eat. In a 2009 American study, nut consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of obesity.

I can relate to this. I have a can of unsalted mixed nuts at my desk at work, which is my breakfast each morning

Eating a few keeps me going until lunch and then I don't feel the need to eat much. It's a great feeling when you don't feel full or hungry, but have barely eaten anything all day. Nutrition and diet are huge.

Great article. (Y)

[Charisma Veteran]

Awesome! I've always like walnuts, and I second what Astra said, it's amazing how a small handful of nuts can make you feel as full and sated as if you had eaten a big meal.

[DocM]

I love 'em - can munch by the handful plain, in salads...whatever :)

[Growled Member]

A lot I didn't know about walnuts. An interesting read. Thanks.

[Detection]

Going to buy some walnuts tomorrow, advertising has no effect on me :D

[Buttus]

i always buy a huge bag and have it at home, it's a great late night snack, better than some carb-fest snack that ruins your sleep and makes you fat!

[Hum]

I've never seen a squirrel complaining of cancer. :laugh:

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

I've never seen a squirrel complaining of cancer. :laugh:

Who else but Hum-mire?

[Cast Iron Leader]

I don't suppose you have any links to some peer reviewed studies, as opposed to someone who is just conjecturing that perhaps maybe it could be doing this but we don't really know because we haven't bothered to do the actual real science to see if what we think is happening is what is really happening - otherwise what I am reading here is no better than all the rubbish that homeopathy, acupuncture and people trying to sell rubber bands that have wonderous healing powers and can be found swindling peoples pockets with.

[deactivated_]

Walnut shells also make a wonderful sandblasting agent or tumbling agent. :)

[DocM]

And walnut oil adds a nice flavor when cooking some dishes such as steaks, and it makes a tasty salad dressing. It also adds a nice flavor when used in some pastries.