We know nuts are good for your health.
They are packed with nutritional fiber, healthy antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory substances.
A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found this one type of nut to slow the progression of dementia in at-risk seniors.
The research involved 636 participants aged between 63 and 79 from California and Barcelona. At the beginning of the study, they were declared cognitively healthy.
The researchers divided them into two groups: one consumed between 30 and 60 grams of walnuts per day, and the other consumed none.
The researchers administered neurocognitive tests before the study and again after two years. The 108 participants in Barcelona were also given frequent brain MRI scans.
When the researchers compared the groups, they found no difference in cognitive functions.
However, their findings revealed some other interesting things.
Smokers in the walnut-eating group displayed slower cognitive decline than smokers in the non-eating walnut group.
In addition, people who started the study with lower-than-average neuropsychological test scores also benefited from walnut consumption.
These findings suggest that walnuts have little effect on cognitive decline for people who are cognitively healthy but can help those who are most at risk of developing dementia.