Can Walnuts Really Boost Brain Power? The Best Time to Eat Walnuts Every Day, Plus Their Benefits and Effects
Walnuts have extremely high nutritional value, which is widely recognized and scientifically supported. Walnuts, also known as Persian walnuts or Qiang walnuts, are plants of the family Juglandaceae. Along with almonds, cashews and hazelnuts, they are known as the world's famous “four great dried fruits.” So can eating walnuts really boost brain power? What is the best time to eat walnuts every day? And what are the benefits and effects of walnuts?
1. Can eating walnuts really boost brain power?
The protein in walnuts is especially high in arginine, reaching 174 mg per gram of walnut protein, the highest among nut foods and 6 times that of the protein in milk and fruit. Arginine is a substance that is both nutritious and has a variety of unique physiological and pharmacological effects. One of its important physiological roles is as a raw material for synthesizing endogenous nitric oxide in the human body; the latter acts as a biological messenger in the body and plays a key role in the physiological and pathological regulation of multiple systems such as the cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, for example maintaining the normal functioning of the nervous system. We can regard this as playing a role in boosting brain power (promoting sleep, improving memory and learning ability, etc.).
The polyunsaturated fatty acid content in walnuts accounts for 76.2%, and can provide the essential fatty acids the human body needs; among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (18:3) reaches 12.2% of the total fat ratio, the highest content among dried fruits. α-Linolenic acid belongs to the ω-3 fatty acids, and after conversion in the body becomes docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), commonly known as brain gold, an essential substance for constituting brain nerve cells and retinal cells and playing an important role in regulating attention and cognitive processes.
The abundant vitamin E in walnuts is an antioxidant vitamin that clears lipid peroxides in the body, delays brain aging and helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. The B vitamins, phospholipids, selenium and so on in walnuts play a role that cannot be ignored in nourishing brain nerve cells and maintaining normal metabolic function. The non-nutritive components in walnuts, namely phytochemicals such as flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds, have antioxidant and anti-aging effects and improve substance metabolism, all of which can better protect the integrity of the structure and function of brain cells. From this it appears that walnuts really do have a brain-boosting effect. By consulting relevant materials, the author found that there are indeed several domestic reports on studies showing that walnut products (walnut powder, walnut extract, walnut oil, etc.) can improve learning and memory in experimental animals.
It should be specially noted that the scientific community has no precise definition of “boosting brain power.” Ordinary consumers' expectations of “boosting brain power” are: being able to raise intelligence, quickly relieve brain fatigue, and enhance learning and work ability. The main research areas of science, however, are the “development” and “aging” of the brain. This is not consistent with consumers' expectations.
Research has found that long-term consumption of walnuts and other nuts can improve some indicators related to brain function, which is not the same thing as the walnut “brain-boosting” function people expect. Up to now, there is no direct research evidence showing that after eating walnuts, a person's IQ can be raised in the short term, or exam scores can be improved.
2. The best time to eat walnuts every day
The most suitable time to eat walnuts and other nut foods is at breakfast.
Chinese people's breakfasts rarely involve overeating, and most are in a state of insufficient nutritional supply. Supplementing with walnuts at this time can improve the quality of breakfast and improve the nutritional ratio of the three meals;
On the other hand, after breakfast, people's metabolic level is relatively high and their work tasks are heavy, so the food eaten is also unlikely to turn into fat deposited on the body. Therefore, eating a small handful of walnuts at breakfast often carries no risk of gaining weight; on the contrary, it suppresses appetite at lunch and is beneficial rather than harmful for weight control.
3. The benefits and effects of walnuts
1. Promote brain development
Eating more walnuts in daily life allows you to absorb abundant phospholipids, a nutrient essential for human brain development, and after the human body absorbs abundant phospholipids, it has a good promoting effect on intellectual development. It can not only improve memory, but also significantly improve people's thinking and reaction ability.
2. Lower cholesterol and prevent high blood lipids
Walnuts, as a food ingredient, are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid and linolenic acid, whose content is relatively high. They can clear cholesterol accumulated in human blood, also lower the content of high-density lipoprotein in the blood, dilute the blood, lower blood lipids and also reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease.
3. Improve heart function
The kernel of walnuts contains a variety of natural antioxidant components, especially flavonoids and the trace element selenium, whose content is relatively high. These substances can not only protect the heart and improve heart function, but also nourish the heart muscle and improve its contractile capacity. Eating more walnut kernels in daily life can both strengthen the heart and reduce the incidence of heart disease.
4. Prolong life and delay aging
Walnuts are also a healthy food ingredient known as the longevity fruit. They are rich in plant protein and various vitamins and minerals beneficial to the human body; when people eat them in daily life, they can nourish the five internal organs and improve the function of various organs in the body. The vitamin E and trace element selenium they contain can improve the body's antioxidant capacity and reduce the generation of free radicals, not only delaying aging but also prolonging life.