Stressful holidays? Eat walnuts! They’re a holiday kind of nut. They come in all varieties
of flavors and in all varieties of holiday treats.
(And if they are not in your family recipe, put them in
them this year!) Research links the gut and the brain, so it
seems logical that if the brain is stressed, the gut is, too.
Researchers now study the effects of calming the gut and
the stomach to calm the brain. Layden Chiropractic tempts our
Plainville stressed-out patients, families, and friends to try eating
some walnuts (unless you’re allergic to them!) to find
their calm! The Plainville chiropractic care plan embraces all sorts of good info like this!
THE GUT BRAIN AXIS AND STRESS
A new study based on prior
studies that linked the brain, the gut and the gut microbiota
and the beneficial effect of consuming walnuts on mental health experimented
with stressed out college students. Academic stress was linked
with poorer mental health in college students, with their choices of foods, their worse gut microbiota, and their moods.
More females than males took part, but researchers recorded
that walnut consumption enhanced these metabolic and stress
markers. Researchers closed their paper stating that eating
walnuts may well protect against academic stress. (1) Layden Chiropractic
and our chiropractic family can find out how well it translates to holiday stress!
BENEFITS OF WALNUTS ON OTHER HEALTH ISSUES
Holiday parties and events impact normal
eating patterns for many of us, influencing our blood
tests and other issues. Layden Chiropractic knows! An analysis of
published research on walnut consumption since 2017 documented
that eating walnuts improved lipid profiles and lessened
cardiovascular disease risk. Additionally, more and more studies
are being published about other benefits like enhanced
cognitive health, inflammation decrease,
glucose level regulation, body weight decrease, etc. (2) It’s
a good thing walnuts appear in many holiday foods!
WALNUTS AND COGNITION
Other research has documented the
influence of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation on aging, mild cognitive
impairment, Alzheimer’s another brain disorders, all issues that arise
over a long period of time. Consuming walnuts for a long-time may delay
or slow their appearance due to walnuts’ protective
role against inflammation and oxidative stress. (3) There is an actual study
called the Walnuts and Health Aging study based on prior
research documenting that walnut consumption lessened
oxidative stress and inflammation, well-known contributors to
cognitive decline. An fMRI study of participants after 2 years’ consumption found
that the trial did not seem to impact
healthy elders but suggested a delay in subgroups at
higher risk of cognitive decline. (4) A delay in cognitive decline is a
good outcome!
ADD SOME WALNUTS TO YOUR CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH PLAN
Let the researchers continue their research
while we do our own! Try the theory yourself. Enjoy a few walnuts this Plainville
holiday season. Plain. Candied. Spicy. Cinnamon coated. Take your pick! Like they say: “An apple a day keeps the doctor
away.” Layden Chiropractic might suggest “A walnut a holi-day may well calm you and
keep you a bit healthier
and a bit jollier!” Happy holidays!
CONTACT Layden Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the benefits of gentle, safe chiropractic treatment
with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management integration
on the nervous system.
Schedule your Plainville chiropractic
appointment now. Share with us your holiday stress…and
your favorite tasty walnut recipe!