Another study just confirmed that nuts are good for the brain.The study by researchers at Loma Linda University Health pointed to nuts and legumes for strengthening the brainwaves.

The brainwaves are associated with healing, learning, and memory.But Dr.Lee Berk, the lead researcher of the study and associate dean for research at the Loma Linda University, noted that the significant beneficial findings of the study demonstrate that nuts are good not only for the brain but also for the rest of the body, NDTV reported.

Abilities of Flavonoids

Because of the high concentration of flavonoids, nuts contain antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, and heart protective effects.Flavonoids have the ability to enter the hippocampus of the brain responsible for learning and memory.It also has neuroprotective effects that lead to the birth of new neurons and improve the blood flow to the brain, Medical News Today reported.

The study looked into the effects of consuming walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, peanuts, and almonds.In the case of pistachios, it produces the greatest gamma wave response to enhance cognitive processing, perception, and learning.

For the highest delta wave response, it was found in peanuts.The response is linked with the immune response of the body, deep sleep, and natural healing.For a source of anti-aging chemicals, the best source is walnuts that help neutralize harmful free radicals which the body produces when eating food.

To measure the strength of the brainwave signals from each nut, electroencephalograms were taken.The EEG wave band activity was then recorded from nine brain regions of the scalp associated with cerebral cortical functions.

Different Effects on Brain Function

There were slightly different effects on brain functions for each nut tested by the Loma Linda researchers, but each one was packed with antioxidants.Since too much meat is not healthy, CBS pointed out that the Mediterranean diet replaces meat with nuts as the source of fat and protein that the body needs on a daily basis.

Previous research has shown the benefits of eating nuts on the body.It protects the heart, battles cancer, reduces inflammation, and slows the aging process.The study was published in the FASEB Journal.It was also presented at the Experimental Biology 2017 yearly meeting held in San Diego, California.

Lower Risk for Heart Disease

Another study said that nuts decrease the risk for heart ailments, The New York Times reported.

More than 210,000 male health professionals and female nurses participated in three big prospective health studies from 1980 through 2013.The research assessed nut consumption using a food frequency questionnaire that was updated every four years.They also provided information about their lifestyle, ailments, and medical history every two years, The Telegraph reported.

Throughout the duration of the study, 8,390 cases of coronary heart diseases and 5,910 strokes were recorded; some were fatal.The researchers controlled for hypertension, smoking, family history of heart ailments, and other factors.  They discovered that if the participants ate more kinds of nuts, their risks for coronary heart disease and cardiovascular ailments went down.

Eating one ounce of nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and pecans once a week cut their risk for heart attack and stroke by nine percent and coronary heart ailment by 12 percent.If they consumed the same amount of nuts but do it five times a week, the risk of cardiovascular events dipped by 14 percent and coronary heart diseases by 20 percent.

Marta Guasch-Ferre, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, explained that nuts have a unique nutritional composition that is high in fiber, fats, and minerals.

Raw Unprocessed Nuts

Dr.Emilio Ros, from the Endocrinology and Nutrition service at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, who reviewed the results of the research for the journal, said that unpeeled and unprocessed raw nuts may be considered as natural health capsules.He said it can easily be incorporated into any heart-protective diet to further cardiovascular well-being and promote healthy aging.

But Professor Jeremy Pearson, the associate medical director of the British Heart Association, said the large study supports past research that suggested the regular consumption of raw nuts could reduce the risk of developing heart diseases.But he pointed out that there could be many reasons for the results.Pearson did not discount the possibility that eaters of plain nuts are more likely to have better diets overall.

He stressed that it is important for people to distinguish between flavored nuts and plain nuts when they plan a healthy diet.Pearson said the study focused on the ingestion of raw, usually unprocessed nuts that are very different from roasted and salted nuts which are higher in salt and sugar.

In the UK, heart disease is the number killer.Around 160,000 people die from cardiovascular ailments yearly.