“The brain is wider than the sky”.

Emily Dickinson

This is the third in a series of three blog posts detailing recent research on walnuts, in honor of National Walnut Day. This post will look at research from UCLA, which examined the association between walnut consumption and cognitive function in adults.

In particular, the researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES was designed to be a representative sample of the U.S. population, ages 20 to 90.

A group of participants who ate walnuts and other nuts were compared to a group who did not eat nuts. Adults ages 20-59 completed the simple reaction time test, the simple digit learning test, and the symbol digit substitution test. Adults ages 60 and over were administered the story recall test or the digital symbol substitution test.

Results from the study showed that walnut consumption had a positive association with cognitive functions in both the 20-59 year old participants, as well as those ages 60 and older.

This interesting study adds to the growing  body of evidence in support of the health benefits of walnuts.

(Source- Journal of Nutrition and Health Aging, Volume 19, Number 3, 2015)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.