Walnuts are a delicious way to get your heart-healthy fats, protein and vitamins. Although they offer great nutritional benefits, walnuts also pack in nearly one-third of your total fat for the day and nearly 10 percent of your saturated fat in just a one-fourth cup serving. Fortunately, the fat in walnuts appear to improve your blood cholesterol and do not cause additional weight gain when added to a healthy diet.
Nutrition Facts
The California Walnuts website shows that a one-fourth cup serving of walnuts, or about 14 walnut halves, is sufficient for meeting the recommended levels of omega-3 fatty acids. They contain 2.5 g alpha linoleic acid, or ALA, the plant version of omega-3 fatty acids. They provide 190 calories, and of those, 160 calories come from fat. They also provide 4 g protein and 2 g fiber. They also deliver 10 percent of your daily magnesium and phosphorus and 25 percent of your copper needs.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Fat
The omega-3 fatty acid concentration in walnuts appears to have benefits on your blood cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Barcelona, Spain, found that a Mediterranean diet that emphasizes monounsaturated fats from walnuts resulted in a 4.1 percent decrease in total cholesterol and a 5.9 percent reduction in LDL "bad" cholesterol in study participants. The study, led by D. Zambon, appeared in the October 17, 2000, edition of the "Annals of Internal Medicine."
Heart Benefits
The World's Healthiest Foods website attributes the heart healthy benefits of walnuts to the omega-3 fatty acid content. The fatty acids appear to prevent erratic heart rhythms, which have been associated with increased risk of blood clots in the arteries. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and plaques, which accumulate in the arteries, seem less likely to form. Regular consumption of walnuts also seems to improve the elasticity of arteries, making them more resistant to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.
Weight Gain and Walnuts
Researchers at the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University found that consuming walnuts regularly had a very minor impact on an weight gain and that weight gain was less than expected. Weight did increase, as did the participants' body mass indexes, a ratio between fat and lean mass. Participants were eating 35 g walnuts, a little more than the 1-ounce recommendation, every day. The researchers concluded that the weight gain was insignificant and could be adjusted for in a healthy diet by moderating calories from a different source. The study, led by J. Sabate, appeared in the November 2005 edition of the "Journal of British Nutrition."
Improved Sleep
Walnuts, researchers at the University of Texas in San Antonio found, contain melatonin in sufficient amounts to triple blood levels of melatonin. Melatonin is believed to improve sleep by reducing delayed onset of sleep, according to the World's Healthiest Foods. Impaired sleep has been linked to weight gain, researchers from the University of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University found.
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