Walnuts are on the top of the tree when talking about heart-healthy superfoods, revealed researchers. Walnuts are packed with potent and plentiful antioxidants, in comparison to any other well-liked nut, plus containing protein, vitamin, minerals and healthy fibres. In addition to all essential nutrients constituents vital for healthy diet, they also contain high levels of protecting antioxidants which offset the effects of harmful molecules.
The researchers believe that the regular consumption of walnuts can diminish the threat of heart disease, certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes. To analyze the health-giving features of walnut, the researchers investigated randomly antioxidant content of nine different types of nut such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias and pecans.
Walnuts grade on top of peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and other nuts. A handful of walnuts contain almost twice as much antioxidant as an equal amount of any other usually consumed nut. But unfortunately, people do not eat a lot of them, explained study author Dr Joe Vinson, from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, US.
This study recommends that people should eat more walnuts as part of their healthy diet. They also found that walnuts not only had more antioxidants than other nuts, but more powerful antioxidants. Those in walnuts were between two and fifteen times more potent than vitamin E, renowned for its antioxidant properties. Another benefit of walnuts was that they were usually eaten in their natural state, rather than being roasted.
The heat from roasting nuts normally decreases the quality of the antioxidants, added Dr Vinson. In an average person’s diet, nuts account for just eight percent of the daily antioxidant consumption. Many people were deferred nuts because they were thought to be fattening. But he indicated that nuts generally contain healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats rather than artery-clogging saturated fat.
He added that eating nuts did not seem to cause weight gain and might even diminish over eating by making people feel full. Around seven walnuts a day was the correct amount to eat to acquire the maximum health benefit. Vinson.