Nutritionists have long been emphasizing the many health benefits of walnuts. Packed with nutrients, just one quarter cup of walnuts provides you with 100% of your daily omega-3 needs. In addition, walnuts work toward reducing the risk of various types of cancer as well as heart disease.
But what about diabetes and walnuts? New research suggests that walnuts may help to reduce the risk of an individual developing type 2 diabetes. What’s more, if diabetics eat walnuts, they are less likely to suffer diabetes complications.
Diabetes and Walnuts – What’s the Impact?
In the above-mentioned study, 14 women and 10 men were randomly assigned diets with or without walnuts. Before and after 8 weeks, the scientists measured the participants’ endothelial function and assessed their cardiovascular biomarkers to see what impact the walnuts had.
Results showed as slight improvement in the endothelial function after consuming a walnut-enriched diet. Additionally, the walnut-enriched diet decreased the amount of LDL cholesterol and serum total cholesterol, while increasing fasting serum glucose.
In conclusion, the researchers believe that including walnuts may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetics developing heart disease.
In a separate study, researchers at Yale found that eating walnuts may reduce the risks of people developing type 2 diabetes in the first place. This is because the participants were shown to include more healthy foods along with walnuts.
Final Thoughts
Based on the above research, diabetes and walnuts appear to be a match. Including walnuts in your diet brings so many benefits. If you’re a diabetic or someone at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, you ought to start eating walnuts.
Apart from using them as healthy snacks, you can use them when baking bread or even add a handful to your morning smoothie. How about a delicious Waldorf salad?
