Eating walnuts may protect
the digestive system and reduce cancer risk
Consuming half a cup of walnut per day may help
protect the digestive system by increasing the amount of probiotic bacteria in
the gut and ward off risks of heart and brain disease as well as cancer,
researchers say. The findings, from the animal study, showed that a
walnut-enriched diet reshapes the gut microbe community and causes a
significant increase in beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus, Roseburia,
and Ruminococcaceae. Walnuts act as a probiotic to help nourish and grow the
bacteria that keeps the digestive system healthy, the researchers said.
“The health of the gut is related to overall health in
the rest of the body. Our study is showing that walnuts change the gut, which
could help explain why there are other positive health benefits to eating
walnuts such as heart and brain health,” said lead researcher Lauri Byerley,
Associate Professor at the Louisiana State University in the US. Consuming
walnuts also has been associated with health benefits including a reduced risk
of heart disease and cancer, Byerley added. The bioactive components of
walnuts may be contributing factors in providing these health benefits, the
researchers explained in the paper appearing in the Journal of
Nutritional Biochemistry. “Greater bacterial diversity may be
associated with better health outcomes, whereas low diversity has been linked
to conditions such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease,” Byerley noted.
Walnuts are the only nuts that contain a significant
amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid (2.5
grams per one ounce) and also offer protein (4 grams per one ounce) and fibre
(2 grams per one ounce). For the study, rats were randomly assigned to a
diet containing ground walnuts, equivalent to about 2 ounces (1/2 cup) per day
in humans, or a diet without walnuts for up to 10 weeks.
28.07.2017
Success usually comes to those
who are too busy to be looking for it
Henry David Thoreau
No comments:
Post a Comment