Walnuts in Shell (500g)

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Walnut in Shell 

Nuts are delicious sources of energy, carbohydrates, and protein. They can be powerful allies for cardiovascular health, improve bone health, aid in weight loss, and much more.

Obtained from the fruit of the walnut tree, found in Europe and Asia, walnuts contain important nutrients such as omega-3, omega-6, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, and the amino acid arginine. And, despite being high in calories, they can greatly benefit our health. Much more than just fruit, walnuts are excellent ingredients for a wide variety of recipes.

It's already known that their high content of good fats has made walnuts the trendy fruit. And it's no wonder—they're great for the brain and digestive system. But don't assume that any amount is beneficial for your health. To that end, it's worth learning all about the calories in walnuts so you can be better informed.

Benefits of Walnuts

In addition to being very tasty, they have numerous nutritional, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Breast cancer prevention
A study conducted at Marshall University in the United States provided evidence that walnuts can help prevent breast cancer. 

The result was that those who consumed the nuts reduced their risk of developing the disease by half. And even those in this group who developed the disease had smaller tumors than those who hadn't eaten the food.

Including nuts in meals also proved beneficial after the disease was diagnosed, as they reduced the speed at which malignant cells grew.

However, there is a downside to this benefit: to reach the amount of nuts used in the experiment, you would need to consume 14 nuts per day. The problem is that it's recommended to eat only six to 10 nuts daily due to their high calorie content and polyunsaturated fats, which can reduce levels of good cholesterol, HDL, in the body.

Cardiovascular health
The benefits of walnuts also apply to cardiovascular health. They help lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), improve blood quality, reduce the risk of clotting and excessive inflammation, and improve the function of endothelial cells, which are present inside blood vessels and form part of their walls.

The amino acid arginine found in walnuts helps produce nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes blood vessels. Walnuts also contain folate—or folic acid—which, when combined with vitamins B6 and B12, reduces homocysteine levels, an amino acid that causes blood vessel hardening and increased blood pressure.

Alleviates problems arising from metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome develops when a person suffers from several metabolic problems such as obesity, excessive levels of fats in the blood, high blood pressure and uncontrolled levels of good cholesterol, HDL.

Scientific research has shown that consuming 1g of walnuts every day for two to three months helps reduce problems associated with metabolic syndrome, such as those mentioned above.

Helps prevent prostate cancer
Studies have also shown that consuming 85g of walnuts per day significantly reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. However, eating a serving of walnuts this size comes with concerns about their high calorie content and fat intake, as we saw in relation to prostate cancer in topic 1.

Bone health
Research has already shown the benefits of walnuts for bones. Eating large amounts of walnuts reduces blood levels of collagen components, which serve as an indicator of bone volume. Low levels indicate good bone stability and reduced bone mineral loss.

However, this effect also comes up against the problem of very high nut consumption: the result was observed with a daily intake of 112 g of the food.

Weight loss
How come weight loss is one of the benefits of nuts? But aren't they high in calories and fat? Yes, but it's also true that recent research has shown that it's possible to eat small amounts of nuts without gaining weight and may even help with weight loss.

One reason for this is that, thanks to their protein and fiber content, nuts can promote satiety, even when eaten in small portions. Another reason is that their anti-inflammatory compounds, such as omega-3, combat inflammation. What does this have to do with weight loss? Scientists have already linked the problem of obesity to chronic inflammation.

Including nuts in your diet has also been shown to help reduce abdominal fat. However, this doesn't mean you should overdo it: 30g of nuts daily is enough to benefit from them without overdoing your fat and calorie intake.

Blood sugar control
The proteins found in nuts help maintain stable blood glucose levels. Research conducted by the University of Toronto in Canada showed that consuming nuts, including walnuts, can help control blood sugar levels.

Scientists reached this conclusion after dividing 117 people with diabetes into three groups. One group ate a mix of walnuts—almonds, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, and unsalted macadamias. The second group ate a healthy, whole-wheat, unsweetened muffin, while the third group ate half the amount of the nut mix and half the amount of the muffin.

The study lasted three months and when it ended, the researchers concluded that the first group of participants showed the best results in terms of controlling blood glucose levels and reducing bad cholesterol, LDL.

Brain health
Walnuts have positive nutritional properties for the brain. They are a source of folate, a B vitamin that is essential for proper brain function and also affects cognitive, mental, and emotional capacity. Research conducted at the Institute of Functional Medicine in Florida, USA, showed that more than 401% of depression diagnoses arise from folate deficiency. Folate acts as a supplement in the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is responsible for good mood.

Other benefits associated with the leaflet include the healthy development of babies while still in the womb, strengthening of the immune system, growth of nails and hair, oil control, and combating acne and dermatitis on the skin.

Muscle mass gain
The benefits of walnuts for muscle gain are underappreciated, but 100g of walnuts provide 20g of protein, a crucial nutrient for building and repairing muscles. Therefore, including a controlled portion of walnuts post-workout can help stimulate muscle building.

Of course, they alone do not promote muscle mass gain; they need to be part of a diet that aims for this objective, and the consumer must do strength training, but it is a fact that they can give a little help in this regard.

Male semen quality
A study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, in the United States, showed that men who consumed 75g of walnuts per day, as an addition to their usual meals, experienced an improvement in semen quality compared to those who did not eat the same amount of walnuts.

Improves sleep
Due to the presence of a compound called melatonin in their composition, a substance that induces sleep, walnuts can induce the desire to sleep in the consumer and make their night's sleep better quality.

Helps prevent diabetes
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that women who consumed 28g of walnuts twice a week reduced their chances of developing the disease by 24%.

Longevity
Another study showed that people who regularly consume nuts are 40% less likely to die from cancer and 55% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, the same study concluded that those who eat nuts are 45% less likely to die.

Combat stress
Thanks to their fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, walnuts have stress-fighting properties. A scientific experiment has shown that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet reduces blood pressure responses to stress.

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