Journal
CURRENT OPINION IN CLINICAL NUTRITION AND METABOLIC CARE
Volume 21, Issue 6, Pages 498-504Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000508
Keywords
alpha-linolenic acid; elagitannins; oxylipins; phytosterols; urolithins; walnuts
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Funding
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III Miguel Servet fellowship [CP12/03299]
- Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria-Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional [PI15/01014]
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Purpose of review Nuts in general and walnuts in particular are in the limelight for the association of their consumption with improved health outcomes. Walnuts have an optimal composition in bioactive nutrients and recent clinical and experimental studies have uncovered a number of beneficial effects of walnut micronutrients, working in isolation or in concert, on metabolic pathways and clinical outcomes that make this review timely and relevant. Recent findings Alpha-linolenic acid, a critical walnut component, is metabolized into bioactive oxylipins, has been shown to protect microglial cells from inflammation, and is associated with lower fatal myocardial infarction rates through a putative antiarrhythmic effect. Phytosterols relate to the cholesterol-lowering effect of nut consumption. Nonsodium minerals are associated with better cardiometabolic health. Walnut phytomelatonin has anticancer effects that are shared by the main walnut polyphenols and their metabolites, ellagitannins and urolithins, respectively. Summary This review highlights new evidence on the health-promoting properties of walnuts and their main micronutrient components. The conclusion is that walnuts are optimal healthful foods.
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