Eating 2 ounces of walnuts a day for 16 weeks improved self-reported mental health measures in undergraduates, according to a new research study. It also protected against the negative effects of academic stress and improved long-term sleep quality.
Eight in 10 students report feeling stressed regularly, and 61% seek counseling for anxiety, depression, or other issues.[1]
A new research study found that undergraduate college students who ate 2 ounces of walnuts a day for 16 weeks improved self-reported mental health measures, protected against some of the negative effects of academic stress, and improved self-reported sleep. It was found that the quality of long term.research by researchers in University of South Australiarecently published in the journal nutrients.[2]
“It has long been known that walnuts are a health-promoting food, but thanks to the design and duration of this study, the findings show how simple foods like walnuts can help fight stress. It really shows how it works,” explains Mauritz F. Herselman. , a doctoral student who undertook this research.
In this randomized clinical trial, a group of participants who ate walnuts also experienced an increase in metabolic markers associated with protection against stress. rice field.
One ounce of walnuts contains 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, 4g of protein, 2g of fiber, and 45mg of magnesium.
Furthermore, in women only, eating walnuts may have counteracted the negative effects of academic stress on gut bacterial diversity.
“College students are a unique group of people who transition into adulthood while completing a challenging and stressful college degree. and overall well-being,” said Associate Professor of Clinical and Health Sciences at the University of South Australia, Research.
“Therefore, managing academic stress is important and students can adopt a variety of strategies to help them navigate college life. Dietary interventions can improve brain health in students.” It’s one strategy that can be done, but is often ignored by students,” she adds.
Survey overview
College students between the ages of 18 and 35 were randomly selected to be in either the treatment or control group for 16 weeks of the study.
The treatment group was provided with pre-portioned walnuts and asked to consume one serving (approximately 56 grams) per day. A control group was asked to refrain from eating nuts of any kind and fatty fish for the same period of time.
Participants provided blood and saliva samples and completed a series of self-report questionnaires on mental health, mood, general health, and sleep habits three times during the study. A subgroup of participants also provided a stool sample at each clinical visit. A total of 60 participants (30 in each group) completed the study.
Promising results for walnuts
The walnut-eating group appeared to experience a protective effect against some of the negative effects of academic stress on mental health compared to the control group. A summary of the findings is provided in the box below. increase.
Effects of walnut consumption on mental health and general well-being in college students.
- Daily consumption of walnuts prevented significant changes in mental health-related scores and stress and depression scores.
- Daily consumption of walnuts increases total protein and albumin levels and may protect against the negative effects of academic stress on metabolic biomarkers.
- Although academic stress did not alter stress biomarkers such as cortisol and α-amylase, daily consumption of walnuts decreased α-amylase levels, further suggesting that walnuts may protect against the effects of stress. It was suggested
- Academic stress was associated with decreased gut microbial diversity in women. However, daily consumption of walnuts may reduce the negative impact of academic stress on gut microbiota diversity in women.
- Walnut consumption may improve sleep in the long term.
Emerging but consistent evidence from observational and clinical studies suggests that eating walnuts is associated with:[3-5]
- Declining prevalence and frequency of depressive symptoms in US adults
- Improvement in mood in otherwise healthy young adults and
- With mental health as an area of healthy aging, you are more likely to achieve overall health in old age
In fact, walnuts have a unique matrix of bioactive nutrients and phytochemicals that may underlie the beneficial effects on mental health seen in these studies.[6]
“Although more supporting research is needed, walnut consumption as part of a healthy dietary pattern could potentially have positive effects on cognition and mental health due to its high omega-3 ALA content. Evidence is emerging that it is.”* Bobrovskaya explains.
“Additionally, research has shown that dietary tryptophan, which the brain uses to make serotonin (a natural mood stabilizer), reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.7 Therefore, the presence of tryptophan in walnuts may also have contributed to these findings,” she points out.
Although these results are encouraging and support previous results found in similar populations, the current study has limitations. Additionally, the results may have been further impacted by 2020[{” attribute=””>COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, as clinical visits were disrupted during this period.
Further work is needed to improve the understanding of the complex pathways through which eating patterns that include walnuts can influence the brain or affect mental health.
Adding walnuts to daily eating patterns could be one small, versatile, simple, and accessible dietary change to promote brain health and overall well-being in university-aged students.
References:
- Stress in college. The American Institute of Stress website. https://www.stress.org/college-students. Accessed November 30, 2022.
- “The Effects of Walnuts and Academic Stress on Mental Health, General Well-Being and the Gut Microbiota in a Sample of University Students: A Randomised Clinical Trial” by Mauritz F. Herselman, Sheree Bailey, Permal Deo, Xin-Fu Zhou, Kate M. Gunn and Larisa Bobrovskaya, 11 November 2022, Nutrients.
DOI: 10.3390/nu14224776 - “Consumption of nuts at midlife and healthy aging in women” by Tania-Marisa Freitas-Simoes, Maude Wagner, Cecilia Samieri, Aleix Sala-Vila and Francine Grodstein, 7 January 2020, Journal of Aging Research.
DOI: 10.1155/2020/5651737 - “Lower depression scores among walnut consumers in NHANES” by Lenore Arab, Rong Guo and David Elashoff, 26 January 2019, Nutrients.
DOI: 10.3390/nu11020275 - “Effects of walnut consumption on mood in young adults—a randomized controlled trial” by Peter Pribis, 25 October 2016, Nutrients.
DOI: 10.3390/nu8110668 - Nutrients in one ounce of walnuts. California Walnut Commission website. https://walnuts.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Nutrients-In-1OZ-Handout_Update.pdf. Accessed November 30, 2022.
- “The Effects of Dietary Tryptophan on Affective Disorders” by Glenda Lindseth, Brian Helland and Julie Caspers, 9 December 2014, Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.
DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2014.11.008
*Walnuts are the only nut with an excellent source of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, per serving (2.5 g ALA/oz).
