Walnuts have healthiest antioxidants of all nuts, study says

Walnuts are top nut for health, say researchers from the University of Scranton to the American Chemical Society

Walnuts are the nuts to eat for health, a new study presented to the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) indicated recently. Walnuts, scientists on the study said, contain not only more healthy antioxidants, but also have a higher quality of antioxidants than any other nut.

“Walnuts rank above peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and other nuts,” said Joe Vinson, Ph.D. at the University of Scranton, who did the analysis. “A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don’t eat a lot of them. This study suggests that consumers should eat more walnuts as part of a healthy diet.”

Vinson noted in an ACS statement that walnuts, which contain high-quality protein, can be substituted for meat; that they are high in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber; and that they are dairy-and gluten-free, making them an inexpensive yet nutritious food option.

Until recently, scientists had not compared the nutritional value of nuts with nuts, although they had studied the overall benefits of the regular consumption of small amounts of nuts and peanut butter for years. Decreased risk of heart disease, as well as some cancers, gallstones, type 2 diabetes and other health problems have all be connected to the regular consumption of nuts over the years. But, in this study, Vinson said that he analyzed the antioxidants of different types of nuts, nine in all: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias and pecans. Of all these, walnuts had the highest antioxidant levels. During this study, Vinson found that the antioxidants in walnuts were 2-15 times as potent as vitamin E, which is well-known for powerful antioxidant properties.

“There’s another advantage in choosing walnuts as a source of antioxidants,” said Vinson. “The heat from roasting nuts generally reduces the quality of the antioxidants. People usually eat walnuts raw or unroasted, and get the full effectiveness of those antioxidants.”

Still, nuts only account for about eight percent of daily antioxidant intake for most people. Many people are not aware of the nutritious power of nuts, Vinson said, and may be concerned about the high fat and calorie content many associate with nuts. But, he said, the fat in nuts is healthy polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats. Also, the addition of nuts to the diet can actually curb the appetite, he indicated, making people less likely to overeat. A 2009 U.S. study actually associated nut consumption with a significantly lower risk of weight gain and obesity, in fact, the study indicated.

Consumers should, however, keep nut consumption on the small side. According to Vinson, it only takes seven walnuts per day to get the impressive health benefits indicated by this recent University of Scranton study.