Daily dose of walnuts can promote healthier heart: Study

It’s well known and long-established that nuts, especially walnuts, can help improve heart health.

Walnuts contain alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid that helps keep the heart pumping normally and may help prevent blood clots, per WebMD.

Now, a new study has found that walnuts’ heart health benefits may be linked to better gut health.

Researchers from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, wanted to determine whether the heart benefits of walnuts stemmed from changes in the gut microbiome.

The researchers conducted genetic testing of 42 participants’ gut microbes. They compared a group that ate one cup of walnuts per day to others who did not eat walnuts.

The people who ate walnuts had higher levels of Gordonibacter, a bacterium that helps the body absorb plant compounds.

Walnut eaters also showed a higher level of the amino acid L-homoarginine, which promotes heart health.

What is the gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome includes the billions of bacteria and microorganisms that are found in the intestines.

The National Institutes of Health noted that "the gut microbiome plays an important role in human health and influences the development of chronic diseases, ranging from metabolic disease to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer."

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