Getting a little nutty can boost a woman’s health. Something as simple as a daily two-ounce serving of walnuts could reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Researchers at Marshall University in West Virginia have found that eating a daily two-ounce dose of walnuts could reduce the risk for breast cancer in women by as much as half, as well as slow the growth of existing tumors. The details of the study appear in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.
The researchers studied the effects of feeding walnuts to mice from womb (via the expectant mother) to adulthood, in an amount equivalent to about two ouces per day for humans. According to lead researcher Elaine Hardman, not only did the nut-fed mice have a lower risk of breast cancer, but also among those that did develop the disease, smaller and fewer tumors occurred.
Hardmon also pointed out, “These reductions are particularly important when you consider that the mice were genetically programmed to develop cancer at a high rate.” She went on to explain, “We were able to reduce the risk for cancer even in the presence of a pre-existing genetic mutation. The results of this study indicate that increased consumption of walnuts could be part of a healthy diet and reduce risk for cancer in future generations.”
While all nuts contain protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the University researchers said that walnuts contain nearly twice as many antioxidant polyphenols as almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, and pecans. Antioxidant polyphenols are compounds that interact with free radicals to stabilize them, which prevents them from harming the body’s cells.
Walnuts and Genetics
Earlier this year, chemistry professor and study researcher Joe Vinson conducted a separate study on walnuts. Vinson said, “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.”
The research team also used genetic analysis as a part of their study. The anaysis revealed that the addition of walnuts to diet changed the activity of multiple genes linked to breast cancer among both mice and men.
Hardman noted that previous studys have clearly indicated that several ingredients found in walnuts lower the risk of cancer or slow tumor growth. She indicated the importance of dietary choices by stating, “What we put into our bodies makes a big difference—it determines how the body functions, [and] our reaction to illness and health.” She then concluded “Food is important medicine in our diet.”
Walnuts are a tough nut to crack, but well worth the effort for getting to the health benefits found inside. Prior research has shown that these nuts have medicinal uses ranging from curing headaches to preventing baldness, and may even promote fertility. Nibble on your daily handful to reap the bountiful benefits.
Soure: HeatNews
