A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to deal better with stress, according to U.S. researchers. They looked at how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence blood pressure at rest and under stress.
Previous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids — like the alpha linolenic acid found in walnuts and flax seeds — could reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Walnuts & walnut oil reduce blood pressure naturally
Now, it is known that people whose bodies have exaggerated responses to stress are at higher risk of heart disease. The new study’s goal: to see if omega-3 fatty acid from plants would deflect the heart’s responses to stress. To find out, they studied 22 healthy adults with high LDL cholesterol.
Researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress.
The stressors in the study were delivering a speech or immersing a foot in cold water. Notably, adding flax seed oil to the walnut diet did not further lower blood pressure.
Every person in the study followed three diets:
1) An “average” American diet without nuts, which reflects what the typical person in the U.S. consumes each day;
2) A diet with 1.3 ounces of walnuts and a tablespoon of walnut oil substituted for some of the fat and protein;
3) A diet including walnuts, walnut oil and 1.5 tablespoons of flaxseed oil.
First study to show nuts could lower stress induced hypertension
All three were matched for calories and specifically designed for each participant. The walnuts, walnut oil, and flax oil were either mixed into the diet in such offerings as muffins or salad dressing, or eaten as a snack. About 18 walnut halves or nine walnuts make up the average serving used by the researchers.
During the stressful activities, researchers took blood pressure readings from the participants. Results showed that average diastolic blood pressure — i.e. pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting — was significantly reduced when the people were on the diets containing walnuts and walnut oil.
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. It may be the first to show that walnuts and the oil from them could reduce blood pressure during stress. This is important, because we can’t avoid all of the stressors in our daily lives.
Dr. Victor Marchione received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1973 and his Medical Degree from the University of Messina in 1981. He has been licensed and practicing medicine in New York and New Jersey for over 20 years.
Dr. Marchione is a respected leader in the field of smoking cessation and pulmonary medicine. He has been featured on ABC News and World Report, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and the NBC Today Show and is an editor at the popular Doctor's Health Press website.
Dr. Marchione has also served as Principal Investigator in at least a dozen clinical research projects relating to serious ailments such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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