Study recommends 1-2 servings of walnuts a week for better aging

Interest continues to grow among scientists in developing anti-aging solutions, ranging from diabetes drug metformin to a new compound, nicotinamide mono nucleotide, to walnuts. A new study links eating walnuts with aging better.

The new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, recommends eating one to two servings of walnuts weekly, reports Huffington Post. One serving is about one-fourth cup.

The nut cuts the risk of acquiring physical impairments later when a person ages, providing better health, more independence and higher quality of life. However, the study also emphasises the role of eating a well-balanced diet as the key to living a healthy life at all stages.

The research, conducted by scientists at Harvard, studied data of more than 54,000 women over 30 years old by comparing their dietary habits with physical impairments in older Americans. They used the Alternative Healthy Eating Index to provide a contrast on the ratio of good versus bad food and physical ability when the women became older.

When ingested, walnut has 13 grammes of polyunsaturated fat per ounce, omega-3 fatty acids and alpha linoleic acid. However, the researchers acknowledge the study has a higher margin of error due to lack of male subjects.

In February, another Harvard Medical School study to determine if eating walnuts every day would help people at risk for diabetes control their cholesterol and blood sugar. The study had 112 subject, ages 25 through 75, of whom 70 percent were female, given 2 ounces of walnuts to eat daily for six months.

The total and bad cholesterol levels of the participants declined significantly, but their weights remained stable. Adding walnut to their daily diet, however, did not have any effect on their blood pressure or blood sugar levels.

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