Walnuts And Health
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Nutrition Facts has found research from the Health Science Center shows that walnuts contain melatonin, a hormone that protects cells against damage. Diseases of aging like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cataracts have a free radical component, Reiter says. Melatonin destroys free radicals before they can cause harm, and it has been shown to inhibit certain types of cancer. Reiter says that adding melatonin to the diet of newborn rats that are susceptible to cataracts prevents cataracts from forming. “In walnuts it’s not only the melatonin that is healthy, but the other ingredients. It’s really the composite of the nut that makes it healthy, not one ingredient”, Reiter says. Melatonin nutritional supplements are more famous as a sleep aid. 13
Walnuts are a key source of the fatty acids classified as “omega-3s.” The omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts help the body to fight arthritis and inflammation. Walnut omega-3s also help prevent cardiovascular disease and soothe balky joints. In an eight-week study of walnuts in the human diet, Spanish researchers found that four weeks of eating walnuts in partial replacement of olives, olive oil and other monounsaturated fats was enough to reduce subject cholesterol by 4.4 to 7.4%. Walnut consumption also increased arterial elasticity of the subjects by approximately 64%. 6
Interest in walnuts and health started in the 16th and 17th centuries when the medical profession adopted the Doctrine of Signatures, which said that various plants were effective as herbal medicines due to their resemblance to particular body parts. The outer hull of the walnut was used to treat head-related ailments. Eating walnuts was thought to boost the intellect and soothe emotions because of its striking resemblance to the brain and heart, depending on the way the walnuts were cracked. Today, cutting edge health research is proving many of these beliefs are true! 3
The first commercial walnut plantings began in 1867 when Joseph Sexton, an orchardist and nurseryman in the Santa Barbara County town of Goleta planted English walnuts. For several years, walnuts were predominantly planted in the southern areas of California, accounting for 65% of all bearing acreage. 3
Mounting scientific evidence suggests that omega-3s lower cholesterol, protect the heart, protect against some cancers and help ease symptoms of inflammatory diseases like arthritis. Getting more omega-3s into the diet of Canadians has become a priority of top nutritionists. Although it may sound contrary to popular perceptions, the fact is everyone needs to intake fat. Polyunsaturated fats, like you find in walnuts, are high in essential fatty acids. These are called essential because you must get them from your diet. As an added bonus, fat makes food taste good. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish, such as salmon, as well as in plant foods including walnuts, leafy greens, soybeans and flaxseed. 5
For four weeks, 21 men and women with high cholesterol followed either a regular, low-calorie Mediterranean diet or one in which walnuts were substituted for about one-third of the calories supplied by olives, olive and other monounsaturated fats in the Mediterranean diet. Then, for a second four weeks, they switched over to the diet they had not yet been on. 10
During Medieval times, walnuts were considered a medicine. A potion containing walnut leaves was used to treat muscular aches and pains and walnuts were believed to soothe the digestive system. 5
After an orchard is planted, it takes approximately four years until it produces its first major crop. Constant attention is given to each tree every step of the way—from pruning, spraying and fertilizing to irrigation—to ensure a healthy orchard. Once a walnut tree has been planted and stabilized, it will continue to bear fine quality fruit for as long as a century. 3
Harvesting operations are largely automated. First the orchard floor is rolled or dragged clean of twigs, rocks and other orchard debris. Then the nuts are removed from the tree by a mechanical shaker. After they have been shaken to the ground, walnuts are blown into a row to allow mechanical harvesters to pick them up for cleaning and hulling. 3
After 6 months, those on the walnut diet had achieved a significantly greater increase in their HDL-to-total cholesterol ratio than the other groups, plus walnut eaters saw a 10% reduction in their LDL cholesterol. Why such benefit from walnuts? Most likely because walnuts are exceptionally high in their content of monounsaturated fat and the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. Plus, walnuts combine these heart healthy fats with a hefty dose of the antioxidants including at least 16 antioxidant phenols, vitamin E, ellagic and gallic acid. 10
Additional research has confirmed that when walnuts are eaten as part of a modified low-fat diet, the result is a more cardiprotective fat profile in diabetic patients than can be achieved by simply lowering the fat content of the diet. In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, all 55 study participants with type 2 diabetes were put on low fat diets, but the only group to achieve a cardioprotective fat profile (less than 10% of calories from saturated fat, 7-10% of calories from polyunsaturated fats, adequate omega-3 fats, and an omega-6:omega-3 ratio of less than 10) were those who ate walnuts (30 grams�about one ounce�per day). 10
Walnuts with desirable traits such as big beautiful shells are selected for the inshell market. The walnut is cleaned, dried and readied for markets around the world where holiday cracking of walnuts is an age-old tradition. Sizing of inshell walnuts is conducted according to USDA standards. Inshell walnuts are sized as “Jumbo”, “Large”, “Medium” or “Baby.” 3
Clean and dried walnuts are stored until ready to be cracked by state-of-the-art equipment to produce what are called “shelled” walnuts, which also mean shell-removed. Only top quality walnuts enter the processing channels, and all aspects of California walnut processing is done to exceed the world’s highest food processing sanitation and quality control standards. 3
References
The Panacea offers these health-extracts to help people investigate health-related subjects in greater depth using the references given in each paragraph. Kindly note that these are current extracts from the web, meant for research, and that these are not meant to be medical advise. For all your health-related needs you must consult trained and licensed personnel.
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