Walnuts May Ward Off Dementia

Walnuts are rich in compounds including vitamin E, ellagic acid, flavonoids, and melatonin, all of which confer antioxidant properties. Abha Chauhan, from the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (New York, USA), and colleagues studied the effect of dietary supplementation of walnuts on the memory, anxiety and learning skills in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease.  The team fed walnuts to the mice, and observed that mental skills were preserved. In contrast, the Alzheimer-model mice that were not fed the nuts suffered a dramatic loss in learning, memory and physical and emotional control.  Positing that walnuts helped to destroy harmful free radical chemicals that are implicated in dementia, the researchers conclude that:  “Our results suggest that dietary supplementation of walnuts may have beneficial effect in reducing the risk, delaying the onset or slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”