Walnuts contain multiple substances, including melatonin and omega-3 fatty acids, that can help protect you from cardiovascular disease. Most nuts, including walnuts, contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, healthy fats that may improve your heart health. But walnuts are the only nuts known to contain melatonin, a hormone with many other health-promoting properties.
Melatonin
The pineal gland in your brain produces melatonin from serotonin, a neurotransmitter that sends messages between nerve cells. Melatonin regulates circadian rhythm and may affect your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin has strong antioxidant properties, and it can protect your cells and tissues from free radicals, substances that accelerate aging and stimulate progression of degenerative diseases, including cataracts, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Melatonin in Walnuts
Scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center discovered that walnuts contain 3.5 ng of melatonin per 1 g of walnut and when eaten increase blood levels of the hormone, according to research published in "Nutrition" in September 2005. The results demonstrate that increased blood levels of melatonin correlate with increased antioxidant activity. Russel Reiter, Ph.D., professor of cellular and structural biology at the Health Science Center and author of the study, states that "relatively few foods have been examined for their melatonin content." He goes on to say that the research shows that "walnuts contain melatonin, that it is absorbed when it is eaten, and that it improves our ability to resist oxidative stress caused by toxic molecules called free radicals." However, Dr. Reiter is unsure how many walnuts per day you need to eat to derive any health benefits.
Walnuts and Cardiovascular Disease
Eating walnuts can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia evaluated results from five controlled, peer-reviewed clinical intervention trials on walnuts and cardiovascular disease. Their review found that increased consumption of walnuts as part of a heart-healthy diet lowers blood cholesterol concentrations and may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, according to an article published in "The Journal of Nutrition" in May 2002. The scientists report that walnuts contain multiple substances that have beneficial effects on heart health.
Melatonin and Cardiovascular Disease
Melatonin may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Scientists at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland report that as blood concentrations of melatonin decline, the frequency of cardiovascular disease increases, and that melatonin influences the cardiovascular system,
according to research published in "Neuroendocrinology Letters" in April 2002. The scientists report that people with high levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol have low levels of melatonin, and note that melatonin suppresses cholesterol formation by 38 percent and lowers LDL accumulation by 42 percent. Furthermore, the research highlights that people with high blood pressure also have low levels of melatonin, and that administration of 1 mg of the hormone reduces blood pressure.
nice very informative
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