Eating walnuts can reinforce positive health benefits such as better quality nutrition and a more active life. Examining 20 years of nutritional history and 30 years of physical and clinical measurements, the researchers found that participants who ate walnuts at an early age were more physically active, had a better quality diet, and were at risk for a better heart disease risk profile as they got older.
These new findings; “Based on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a long-term, ongoing study, the Coronary Artery Risk Evolution in Young Adults Study (CARDIA) 1 was obtained. The aim of the research is to examine the risk factors for heart diseases that develop over time.
"The research is one of the longest to suggest that the simple act of adding about a handful of walnuts to your daily diet can act as a bridge to other lifestyle habits that have a positive impact on overall health later in life."
The findings also support that walnuts may be an easily accessible food for improving various heart disease risk factors in young and middle adulthood.
University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers state in their latest study published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases2 that the research results may be due to the unique combination of nutrients found in walnuts and their impact on health.
“Walnuts are the only tree nut that is an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (2,5 grams/oz.), which, as research has shown, may play a role in heart health, brain health and healthy aging. 3,4 In addition, about a handful of walnuts (28 g) contains a variety of other important nutrients that are beneficial for overall health, including 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and a rich source of magnesium (45 milligrams). Walnuts also have a variety of antioxidants, including polyphenols.
Lyn M. Steffen (PhD, MPH, RD), Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and CARDIA Principal Investigator, said: “People who consume walnuts have a unique body phenotype with other positive effects. “Acquiring the habit of consuming walnuts from a young age has positive effects on overall health, such as better nutritional quality, especially during middle adulthood, when the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes increases.”
Healthy Living Habits Carry Great Importance in Turkey
Both the world and Turkey are going through a demographic transformation that will have a great impact on the economic, social and health fields in the future. The most important dynamics of this transformation stand out as the decrease in birth rates, the prolongation of life expectancy at birth and at the age of 60, and the increase in the elderly population. In recent years, the ratio of individuals aged 65 and over to the total population in Turkey has increased to 8%. This means that Turkey has entered the process of rapidly aging society. As the number of the elderly population increases, the importance of regulations and interventions that will increase the number of healthy and active years increases.
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