- Researchers examined the effects of nut consumption on memory and brain health.
- They found that consuming 60 grams of mixed nuts per day increases verbal memory and blood flow in the brain.
- Further studies are needed to confirm the results.
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Nuts are common to both of these diets. Nuts contain nutrients, including unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and polyphenols, which may all benefit cognition.
Further study of how nuts impact cognition and brain health could inform dietary and public health recommendations.
Recently, researchers investigated the effects of daily nut consumption on cognition and brain health. They found that daily nut consumption benefitted blood flow in the brain and verbal memory in older adults.
The study was published in Clinical Nutrition and was funded by the International Nuts and Dried Fruit Council (INC).
For the study, the researchers recruited 28 healthy individuals at an average age of 65 years, and an average body mass index (BMI) of 27.9. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.
The participants were randomized into two groups and assigned one of two diet plans for 16 weeks. One group consumed 60 grams of walnuts, pistachios, cashews, and hazelnuts per day, while the other group consumed no nuts. The groups switched nut consumption protocols after an 8-week washout period.
At the end of each period, the researchers gathered indicators of participants’:
- brain vascular function
- endothelial function — key for blood clotting and the passage of fluids and electrolytes from the blood into tissues
- arterial…
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