This Nut Could Help Protect You From Alzheimer’s, New Research Suggests — Eat This Not That

No Comments

Photo of author

By Ghuman

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating condition that affects millions of people around the world. But new research suggests that a certain type of nut could help protect you from this debilitating disease. Eating This Not That has the scoop on the latest research and how you can incorporate this nut into your diet to help protect your brain health.

This Nut Could Help Protect You From Alzheimer’s, New Research Suggests

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating condition that affects millions of people around the world. But new research suggests that eating a certain type of nut could help protect you from developing the condition.

A study published in the journal Neurology found that people who ate walnuts at least once a week had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who didn’t eat walnuts. The researchers looked at data from over 16,000 people and found that those who ate walnuts had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who didn’t.

The researchers believe that the protective effect of walnuts may be due to their high levels of antioxidants, which can help protect the brain from damage. Walnuts are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to improved cognitive function.

The study’s authors caution that more research is needed to confirm the findings, but they believe that eating walnuts could be a simple and effective way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

So if you’re looking for a way to protect your brain health, adding walnuts to your diet could be a good place to start.

Your dietary choices can impact nearly every part of your life. They can affect how energetic you feel throughout the day, how your body ages, how your skin looks and feels, and more. They can also have an impact on your brain function both in the short term and in the long run.

Some foods could help your mind function better, while others could be doing some damage to your cognitive abilities. In fact, dietary choices can even affect your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Now, new research suggests that an oil found in walnuts could help protect against the disease.

person eating walnuts
Shutterstock

In the study, published April 19 in the journal Nutrients, researchers looked at a cellular model of how oil extracted from walnuts affected the function of mitochondria, the main source of energy for our cells, and other processes. They found that the extract decreased the formation of certain beta-amyloids, which form the plaques on the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and that it may increase the creation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that helps fuel the cells.

As such, the researchers concluded that walnut oil may be a “promising agent” in combating the disease, though it needs further research.

“Walnuts are an important component of the Mediterranean Diet, which has been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD),” study authors write. “Clinical studies revealed that the consumption of walnuts increases cognitive function in the elderly.”

They added that the omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA) in the nuts helps form two omega-3-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that benefit cellular functions, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and that these nuts could have antioxidant effects.

“Walnuts contain the highest amount of ALA of all nuts,” they write. “Furthermore, this [walnut] extract also includes low levels of the lipophilic vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant.”

Walnuts have also been linked with a range of other benefits, including helping you with sleep, boosting your heart health, and protecting you from liver damage.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition wherein one’s memory, thinking and other cognitive functions decline, eventually interfering with their day-to-day life. According to a 2018 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, the disease affected 5 million people, or 1.6% of the U.S. population.

Additionally, researchers expect that percentage to grow to 3.3 by 2060. They advise getting tested early to help those who have the disease and their families deal with the challenges that it brings as well as possible.

There are a range of lifestyle changes that can help reduce your risk of the disease. For instance, some research finds that sticking to the Mediterranean diet could help protect you from it or a variation of the diet created specifically for your brain health called the MIND diet. Additionally, habits such as exercising regularly, maintaining an active social life, and doing activities to keep your brain sharp could also help lower your risk.

For more on research-backed ways to lower your risk of this disease, be sure to check out these Alzheimer’s Secrets That Really Work, Say Physicians.

Clara Olshansky

Clara Olshansky (they/she) is a Brooklyn-based writer and comic whose web content has appeared in Food & Wine, Harper’s Magazine, Men’s Health, and Reductress. Read more

Leave a Reply