According to scientists, walnuts modify genetic expressions related to breast cancer. This is why it is worth eating a little every day.
A small amount of nuts every day protects us from breast cancer. According to new research, in fact, the consumption of walnuts slows the growth of breast cancer and reduces the risk of breast cancer. This is a study that confirms other scientific evidence that has already attributed an essential role to this particular fruit in protecting against carcinomas.
To give further proof of the beneficial power of walnuts this time are the American researchers of the University of Marshall, according to which they are enough 57 grams of walnuts per day for about two weeks to significantly change gene expression in already confirmed tumors.
This is a pilot clinical trial, the latest in a series of related studies at Marshall University regarding the presence of walnuts in the diet for tumor growth, survival and metastasis in breast cancer. The work is described in a paper published in Nutrition Research journal.
For the first pilot clinical study, women with breast lumps large enough to perform biopsies were recruited and divided into nut-consuming and control groups. After the biopsy, the women in the walnut group began consuming 57 grams per day until the day of their surgery.
During the surgery performed approximately two weeks after the biopsy, additional tumor samples were taken and the RNA sequencing profile showed that approximately 456 genes were significantly changed in the tumor after eating walnuts.
“These results support the hypothesis that, in humans, the consumption of walnuts could suppress the growth and survival of breast cancers. Further research would be needed through a large-scale study to clinically confirm that its consumption actually reduces the risk of breast cancer or recurrence, ”reveals Elaine Hardman of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marshall University's School of Medicine.
Marshall University had also conducted another study, on mice, however, in which it had shown how the consumption of walnuts reduced the size of breast tumors.
Other studies involving walnut consumption also identify wonderful health benefits: for example, a systematic review of 26 Harvard University clinical studies suggests that diets that include walnuts could reduce total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglycerides. As well as a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that walnuts help control weight due to their high content of unsaturated fats.
Eating a diet that contains unsaturated fats, such as nuts, has similar weight loss effects to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. On the other hand, according to an article from the University of California at Los Angeles, those who consume dried fruit could cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half compared to those who do not eat any. After evaluating more than 34 adults, consumption of 3 tablespoons of dried fruit per day was associated with a 2% decrease in the prevalence of type 47 diabetes.
What are you waiting for then? Go ahead with a handful of nuts, or dried fruit in general every day, able to prevent cancer but also to control blood sugar levels and inflammation thanks to unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, folic acid and minerals.
Read also:
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- Nuts and peanuts are good: all the studies that show it
Germana Carillo
