WALNUT CONSUMPTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS in stress and mental health. Moreover, better sleep quality and metabolic markers are also linked to the nut. These are the findings of a new scientific investigation from the University of South Australia. Today we look at walnuts and how you might use them for stress reduction.
A recent study examines undergraduate students experiencing academic stress. The study authors note a bidirectional interplay between stress and diet, with stress influencing nutritional choices and food impacting stress.
You are not alone in your body. Within each of us are trillions of microorganisms — viruses, bacteria, fungi, and more — collectively designated the microbiome. Organs such as the skin have a microbiome, but much research has focused on the one in the gut.
Scientists believe that processes in the gut microbiome influence several diseases. Among these conditions are cancer and autoimmune disorders (including multiple sclerosis and autism spectrum disorders). The gut microbiome also strongly interacts with certain medications, including some mental-health drugs, and influences their effects.
What we eat influences our gut microbiome, impacting brain functioning. Recognizing historical studies showing walnut consumption to be associated with improvements in mental health, the Australian researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial focusing on the nut.
Stress and anxiety are common.
Poor mental health is a rising problem among young persons. For undergraduate students, chronic academic stress has a meaningful impact.
One in eight people in the world lives with a mental disorder. More than 300 million individuals worldwide, including 58 million children and adolescents, struggle with an anxiety disorder.
The first phase of the World Health Organization’s global project for university students explored the prevalence of psychological disorders in more than 13,000 students from 19 universities in eight countries.
More than one in three (35 percent) respondents suffered from mental health problems. Leading the way? Major depression, with a prevalence of approximately 20 percent, followed by generalized anxiety disorder at around 18 percent.
In Spain, for instance, 23 percent of university students exhibited symptoms consistent with a major depressive disorder. Nineteen percent had a generalized anxiety disorder.
Stress and walnuts — a new study
The researchers split 80 undergraduate students into control and treatment groups. The treatment group members consumed about one-half cup of walnuts daily for 16 weeks.
The students had clinical assessments three times, including at the beginning of a 13-week university term, during the exam period, and two weeks after. Those in the treatment group ate walnuts daily for 16 weeks over these three intervals.
Students who consumed about half a cup of walnuts each day had improvements in self-reported mental health indicators. Walnut consumers also demonstrated improved metabolic biomarkers and sleep quality in the longer term.
While the control group participants reported increased stress and depression levels in the lead-up to exams, those in the walnut group did not. The walnut consumers also had a significant drop in feelings associated with depression between the first and final visits compared to the controls.
In summary, the study showed the following:
- As demonstrated by lower mental and psychological well-being scores, academic stress negatively impacted mental health. The stress increased during the university examination period.
- Academic stress negatively impacted metabolic biomarkers (for example, total protein and albumin decreased during exam time). Daily walnut consumption increased these substances.
- While academic stress did not alter stress biomarkers (such as cortisol and α-amylase), daily walnuts dropped α-amylase levels, suggesting that walnuts may protect against the effects of stress.
- Academic stress appeared to females’ lower gut microbial diversity. Daily walnuts may alleviate the negative effects of academic stress on female gut microbiome diversity.
- Walnuts may improve sleep in the longer term.
Walnuts are chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids, the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, antioxidants, vitamin E, folate, and polyphenols, all of which promote a healthy brain and gut.
Daily walnut consumption provides some protection against academic stress-driven mental health problems. The risk reduction was reflected in stress biomarkers such as α-amylase.
In this admittedly very small study, academic stress negatively affected gut microbiome diversity in females; we need more studies to confirm the effect in males. In the females, walnut intake alleviated the negative effects of stress on gut microbiome diversity. Thank you for joining me in this look at “Walnuts: How You Might Use Them for Stress Reduction.”
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
