Ladies take note. Eating walnuts may make ageing healthier for women according to a new study. The epidemiological study revealed that women in their late 50s and early 60s who consumed at least two servings of walnuts per week had a greater likelihood of healthy ageing compared to those who did not eat walnuts at all.
The study accounted for various factors that could impact health in older adults, such as education and physical activity. It was found that eating walnuts was linked with better odds of healthy ageing. The study supported by the California Walnut Commission, defined healthy ageing as longevity with sound mental health and no major chronic diseases, cognitive issues or physical impairments following the age of 65.
Previous researches have also said that eating walnuts may have a positive impact on reducing the risk for physical impairments in older adults as well as cognitive decline. Decreases in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes were also observed by several research groups. Both the conditions are culpable in making ageing worse.
While there is no concrete way to slow down the effects of ageing, however, adopting right habits, like snacking on a handful of walnuts may be of immense help.For the study, researchers looked at data from 33,931 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) to evaluate the association between nut consumption and overall health and well-being in ageing. Between 1998-2002, female nurses in the NHS were asked about their diet (including total nut consumption); evaluated for chronic diseases (such as cancer, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease); and assessed for memory concerns, mental health and physical limitations (including daily activities like walking one block, climbing a flight of stairs, bathing, dressing oneself and pushing a vacuum cleaner).
The study revealed that among all participants, about 16 percent were found to be "healthy agers," defined as having no major chronic diseases and also reported intact cognitive health.
This study only included women. More research is required to reach conclusive results. It was an observational study and participants were given a questionnaire to fill.
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