Do you like walnuts? If you do, then there’s good news for you. A study has revealed that a couple of handfuls of walnuts every week may help women in their late 50s and early 60s live longer and stay healthy.
Personally, when I first read the study, I believed it made sense. That’s because my aunt is a doctor, now retired, and she eats different kinds of nuts almost every day consciously to keep healthy, and would ask me to have some when I visit her.
She prefers walnuts the most, saying it’s good for the brain and overall health. I’m not sure about the science there, but she is really sharp even at her age. She’s over 60 now.
In this study of walnuts, researchers analyzed data from 33,931 women who took part in the US Nurses Health Study from 1998 to 2002. They found that women who eat walnuts every week in their late 50s and early 60s had sound mental health and no major diseases or physical problems after they reached the age of 65.
As the data showed, participants reported their diet – including total nut consumption – and were evaluated for memory concerns, mental health, and chronic diseases including cancer, heart failure, strokes, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.
About 16% were healthy agers according to the data, and women who ate walnuts were more likely to be in this group. Walnuts were the only nut linked to significantly better odds of healthy ageing after other factors such as exercise were accounted for.
Dr. Francine Grodstein, of Harvard University, said: “There’s no one solution to slowing effects of ageing. But adopting habits like snacking on walnuts can help.”
