Walnuts are the new brain food for stress

Overview: Walnut consumption was associated with increased self-reported improvements in mental health and stress.It was also associated with improvements in sleep quality and metabolic biomarkers. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, and other vitamins and nutrients related to mental and gut health.

sauce: University of South Australia

College students who are stressed may want to add walnuts to their daily diet in the weeks leading up to their next exam.

A new clinical trial in college undergraduates showed that walnut consumption had a positive impact on self-reported measures of mental health and biomarkers of general health.

University of South Australia study published in journal nutrientsalso suggest that walnuts may counteract the effects of academic stress on the gut microbiome during periods of stress, especially for women.

Principal Investigator Mauritz Herselman, Ph.D. student, and Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya, said the results add to growing evidence linking walnuts to improved brain and gut health.

“Students experience academic stress throughout their studies, which has a negative impact on their mental health, and are especially vulnerable during exams,” says Herselman.

Eighty college students divided into treatment and control groups were clinically evaluated at three intervals at the beginning of the 13-week college semester, during the study period, and two weeks after the study period. People in the treatment group were given walnuts to consume daily at these three intervals for 16 weeks.

“We found that those who consumed about half a cup of walnuts daily showed improvements in self-reported mental health measures. It showed an improvement in quality.”

Control group students reported increased levels of stress and depression leading up to the exam, whereas treatment group students did not. They reported a significant decrease in depression-related feelings between the first and last visit.

Previous studies have shown that walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone), polyphenols, folic acid, and vitamin E, all of which can promote a healthy brain and gut. is shown.

“The World Health Organization recently stated that at least 75% of mental health disorders affect people under the age of 24, making undergraduates particularly vulnerable to mental health problems,” Herselman said. say.

Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya says mental health disorders are common among college students and can negatively impact a student’s academic performance and long-term physical health.

“Not only does walnut consumption during stressful times improve mental health and general well-being in college students, it is a healthy and delicious snack, a versatile ingredient in many recipes, and is a versatile ingredient in academic studies. We have shown that it can combat the negative effects of psychological stress,” said Associate Professor. Bobrovskaya says.

“Because of the small number of men in this study, more research is needed to establish walnut’s sex-dependent effects and academic stress in college students.” You may have.”

About this diet and stress research news

author: press office
sauce: University of South Australia
contact: Press Office – University of South Australia
image: image is public domain

See also

Original research: open access.
“Effects of walnuts and academic stress on mental health, general well-being, and gut microbiota in a sample of college students: a randomized clinical trial.” Mauritz F. Herselman et al. nutrients

overview

Effects of walnuts and academic stress on mental health, general well-being, and gut microbiota in a sample of college students: a randomized clinical trial.

It is common for undergraduates to have poor mental health due to academic stress. There is an interaction between stress and diet, and stress influences dietary choices. Nutritional interventions may be effective in preventing mental health decline due to the complex bidirectional interactions between the brain, gut and gut microbiota.

Previous research has shown that walnut consumption positively impacts mental health. We aimed to investigate the effects of daily intake of walnuts on mental health, biochemical markers of general health, and gut microbiota in undergraduate and college students.

Academic stress was found to negatively affect self-reported mood and mental health status, whereas daily intake of walnuts improved mental health measures and negative effects of academic stress on metabolic and stress biomarkers. protected from some of the

Study stress was associated with lower gut microbial diversity in women, which was ameliorated by walnut intake. The effects of academic stress or walnut consumption in male participants could not be established due to the small number of participants.

Thus, walnut consumption may have a protective effect against some of the negative effects of academic stress, although the gender-dependent mechanisms require further research.