Walnuts, the new anti-stress brain food
Summary: Nut consumption was associated with greater improvements in self-reported mental health and stress. It was also linked to better sleep quality and metabolic biomarkers. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, melatonin, and other vitamins and nutrients associated with mental and intestinal health.
Font: University of South Australia
Stressed out college students may want to add nuts to their daily diet in the weeks leading up to their next exam.
A new clinical trial of college students during their undergraduate studies has shown positive effects of walnut consumption on self-reported measures of mental health and biomarkers of general health.
The study from the University of South Australia, published in the journal nutrientsalso suggests that walnuts may counteract the effects of academic stress on the gut microbiota during periods of stress, especially in women.
Principal investigators, Ph.D. Student Mauritz Herselman and associate professor Larisa Bobrovskaya say the results add to the growing body of evidence linking walnuts to better brain and gut health.
“Students experience academic stress throughout their studies, which has a negative effect on their mental health, and they are particularly vulnerable during exam periods,” says Herselman.
Eighty college students divided into treatment and control groups were clinically evaluated at three intervals, at the beginning of a 13-week college semester, during the exam period, and two weeks after the exam period. Those in the treatment group received nuts to consume daily for 16 weeks during these three intervals.
“We found that those who consumed around a half cup of nuts every day showed improvements in self-reported indicators of mental health. Walnut eaters also showed improved metabolic biomarkers and overall sleep quality over the long term.”
Students in the control group reported increased levels of stress and depression in the run-up to exams, but those in the treatment group did not. Nut eaters also reported a significant decrease in feelings associated with depression between the first and last visit, compared to controls.
Previous research has shown that walnuts are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, as well as melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone), polyphenols, folate, and vitamin E, all of which promote a healthy brain and gut.
“The World Health Organization has recently stated that at least 75 percent of mental health disorders affect people under the age of 24, making college students particularly vulnerable to mental health problems,” it says. Herselman.
Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya says mental health disorders are common in college students and can negatively affect students’ long-term academic performance and physical health.
“We have shown that consuming nuts during stressful periods can improve the mental health and general well-being of college students, as well as being a healthy and delicious snack and a versatile ingredient in many recipes, to combat some of the negative effects of academic stress,” he said. Prof. Assoc. Bobrovskaya says.
“Due to the smaller number of men in the study, more research is needed to establish the sex-dependent effects of walnuts on academic stress in college students. It’s also possible that a placebo effect came into play, as this was not a blinded study.”
About this diet and stress research news
Author: press office
Font: University of South Australia
Contact: Press Office – University of South Australia
Image: The image is in the public domain.
See also
original research: Open access.
“Effects of nuts and academic stress on mental health, general well-being, and gut microbiota in a sample of college students: a randomized clinical trial” by Mauritz F. Herselman et al. nutrients
Summary
Effects of nuts and academic stress on mental health, general well-being, and gut microbiota in a sample of college students: a randomized clinical trial
Poorer mental health is common in college students due to academic stress. There is an interaction between stress and diet, and stress influences food choices. Nutritional interventions may be effective in preventing mental health decline due to the complex two-way interactions between the brain, gut, and gut microbiota.
Previous studies have shown that walnut consumption has a positive effect on mental health. Here, using a randomized clinical trial (Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register, #ACTRN12619000972123), we aimed to investigate the effects of academic stress and daily nut consumption in university students on mental health, biochemical markers of general health and gut microbiota.
We found that academic stress had a negative impact on self-reported mood and mental health, while daily walnut consumption improved mental health indicators and protected against some of the negative effects of academic stress on metabolic and behavioral biomarkers. stress.
Academic stress was associated with lower gut microbial diversity in women, which was improved by walnut consumption. The effects of academic stress or nut consumption in male participants could not be established due to the small number of participants.
Therefore, nut consumption may have a protective effect against some of the negative impacts of academic stress, however, the sex-dependent mechanisms require further study.