ISTANBUL, Turkey – A new clinical trial reveals there may be a connection between heart and gut health aided by the consumption of walnuts. Findings from this new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, show that consuming walnuts enriches certain gut bacteria in the digestive system associated with improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol. Researchers believe this could be due to the unique combination of bioactive compounds, fatty acids and dietary fiber found in walnuts.
The cardiovascular mortality in the MENA has been estimated to triple from 1990 to 2020. Another health problem threatening the UAE increasingly is gastro-intestinal diseases. Doctors state that two out of tem people in the UAE suffer from poor gut health, which makes them equally grave as heart diseases, and that poor eating habits might have an effect on the aggravation of the problem.
In this new trial conducted at The Pennsylvania State University and Juniata College, study participants included 42 overweight or obese (BMI: 25.0 – 39.9 kg/m2) individuals aged 30-65 and at risk for heart disease. Participants first followed an average American diet (48 percent carbohydrate, 17 percent protein, 35 percent fat, seven percent saturated fat) for two weeks to be sure that everyone started at the same baseline.
They were then randomly assigned to a diet that replaced some saturated fat with either walnuts, a vegetable oil blend that included the same fatty acids as walnuts (including omega-3 ALA, a type of polyunsaturated fat), or a vegetable oil blend that was higher in omega-9 oleic acid (a type of monounsatured fat). All participants followed each diet for six weeks with a break (average of 22.8 days) in between each intervention. Standard markers of heart health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as the microorganisms living in the digestive tracts of the participants were assessed before and after each of the diets.
Individuals who consumed walnuts and the vegetable oil with the same fatty acid profile as walnuts showed positive shifts in gut bacteria compared to the average American diet, suggesting a positive impact of omega-3 ALA. Those following the walnut diet only had a unique enrichment of a particular species of bacteria – one that plays an important role in metabolizing ellagitannins, a bioactive component of walnuts that may be associated with cardiovascular benefits.
