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İSTANBUL, Turkey – (ARAB NEWSWIRE) — In a first of its kind study, researchers at the University of Reading found that eating a generous handful of walnuts (50g), mixed into muesli and yoghurt, resulted in faster reaction times throughout the day and better memory performance later in the day when compared to eating a calorie-matched breakfast without nuts.1
The research, published this month in Food & Function, involved 32 healthy young adults aged 18-30 who consumed both the walnut-rich breakfast and the matched breakfast on separate occasions.* Participants completed various cognitive tests while their brain activity was monitored in the six hours after eating each breakfast.
Professor Claire Williams, who led the research from the University of Reading, said: “This study helps strengthen the case for walnuts as a brain food. A hearty handful of walnuts with breakfast could give young adults a mental edge when they need to perform at the top of their game. It’s particularly exciting that such a simple dietary addition could make a measurable difference to cognitive performance.”
While these results build on past research, it is the first to examine the immediate effects of walnuts on brain function in young adults throughout a single day.
“This study went further by exploring how a dietarily achievable measure of walnuts could benefit our cognitive performance in a sample of healthy young adults aged 18-30. The group who had consumed the walnuts as part of their breakfast showed signs of better memory and greater mental flexibility when completing cognitive tasks at various points across the course of the day,” explains Williams.
Gaining a healthy breakfast habit improves the quality of life of individuals.
Sharing her opinions on the research, Dietitian Olcay Barış said, “The region we live in places great importance to breakfast due to the eating habits and cultural structure. Our traditional breakfast is one of the pillars of a healthy diet with the diversity of foods and nutritious components. Breakfast not only contributes to physical health but is also promotes socialization and helps preserve cultural heritage. Gaining a healthy breakfast habit improves the overall quality of life of individuals.”
Emphasizing the importance of breakfast content, Barış added, “The contents of a breakfast may vary depending on the age, health and daily activity level of the individual. Nevertheless, the basic principle is to provide a balance consisting of eggs and cheese which are sufficient protein sources; walnuts and olive oil which are healthy fat sources; whole wheat bread and oatmeal which are complex carbohydrates, and seasonal vegetables which are rich in fiber.”
The results of this study offer promise for the role of walnuts in improving cognitive performance in young adults.
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