Eat walnuts daily for better gut, heart health
ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (APP): Walnuts may not just be a tasty snack, they may also promote good-for-your-gut bacteria, say researchers, adding that these ‘good’ bacteria could lead to better heart health.
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, suggests walnuts as a part of healthy diet may be a heart- and gut-healthy nut.
Additionally, those changes in gut bacteria were associated with improvements in some risk factors for heart disease.
“Substantial evidence shows that small improvements in diet greatly benefit health. Eating two to three ounces of walnuts a day as part of a healthy diet could be a good way to improve gut health and reduce the risk of heart disease,” said study researcher Kristina Petersen from Penn State University in the US.
According to the researchers, another research has found that changes to the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract — also known as the gut microbiome — may help explain the cardiovascular benefits of walnuts.
“The walnut diet enriched a number of gut bacteria that have been associated with health benefits in the past,” Petersen said.
“One of those is Roseburia, which has been associated with protection of the gut lining. We also saw enrichment in Eubacteria eligens and Butyricicoccus,” Petersen added.
The researchers also found that after the walnut diet, there were significant associations between changes in gut bacteria and risk factors for heart disease.
