- Lifestyle
- Health & Families
Just five servings of walnuts each week promotes heart health
Julia Mustoin New YorkFriday 21 November 2025 21:25 GMTComments
CloseWalnut Crusted Chilean Sea Bass & Honey Candied Walnut Ice Cream
Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life
Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter
Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Walnuts are a simple snack that add a hearty crunch to seasonal baked goods and a complex texture to mixed green salads.
Nearly a third of the world’s walnuts, used in cooking for thousands of years, around found in California, and the Golden State supplies nearly all of America’s walnut production.
The tree nut is known for its benefits to multiple vital organs, including the heart, gut and brain. Walnuts contain disease-fighting antioxidants, healthy fats and fiber, according to experts.
“The health benefits of walnuts are impressively broad,” registered dietitian Amber Sommer told the Cleveland Clinic.
“They definitely deserve a place in your diet. They’re well-known for their healthy fats, and they also have benefits you might not know about, such as improving your gut microbiome.”
open image in galleryWalnuts have crucial fats and antioxidants that have been shown to protect brain and heart health (Getty Images/iStock)Keeping your gut microbiome - the collection of trillions of bacteria that live in your intestines - happy is crucial to digestive health.
A nut with heart
Recent research has shown the walnut plays a role in guarding against cancer and heart disease, as well as Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
Walnuts have been shown to improve gut health, with adults who eat 1.5 ounces of walnuts daily for eight weeks showing more beneficial gut bacteria at the end of the trial.
The nuts are a great source of fiber, with an ounce – or 12 to 14 walnut halves – containing two grams, according to the California Walnut Commission. Most American adults only get around 15 grams of the 25 to 30 grams of fiber recommended each day.
Not-so-fishy fat
The type of healthy fats in walnuts, the same omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, are part of what make them so good for our hearts and brains.
They have alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA omega-3 fat, which has been shown to slash heart disease risk. Walnuts contain about 2.5 grams of ALA per serving, and just five servings a week can make a difference, according to the Clinic.
The antioxidants in walnuts, such as immune-protecting vitamin E and plant compounds known as polyphenols, can help to prevent arteries becoming harder and more narrow, which can lead to a heart attack.
The nuts have also been shown to help prevent inflammation in the brain and improve brain function in adults.
open image in galleryWhile walnuts are fairly high in calories, experts say their healthy fat content actually helps weight loss (Getty Images/iStock)Weight-loss winner
While walnuts have around 190 calories per serving, the healthy fats and four grams of protein, per one ounce serving, keeps you feeling fuller longer, according to U.C. Davis Health. One 2015 study suggested that this is because the way fat is stored in walnuts prevents the body from holding onto all of the calories.
The fiber content in walnuts aids weight loss and the fight against heart disease-causing high cholesterol, Dr. Asimin Cheema, an internal medicine doctor and cardiologist with Your Doctors Online, told Parade.
“Walnuts contain soluble fiber, which acts like a sponge in your digestive system. As food travels through your gut, this fiber sponge soaks up cholesterol particles, preventing them from entering your bloodstream,” he said. “Instead of going into your arteries, the cholesterol is carried out of your body as waste.”
The best way to eat walnuts is unsalted and raw, according to U.C. Davis Health. “Stick to a single serving of nuts per day or several times a week,” Sommer advised.
More about
nutsWalnutBrain healthFoodsnacksJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments
