Eating Walnuts May Help Prevent Colon Cancer

A team of researchers from UConn Health and The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine found that eating walnuts can reduce one's risk of getting colon cancer. In the study, mice that were fed walnuts (totaling seven percent to 10.5 percent of their total calories) developed fewer instances of colon cancer. Seven to 10.5 percent of daily total calories coming from walnuts is equivalent to a human eating about an ounce of walnuts every day.[slideshow: 3451]

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"Our results show for the first time that walnut consumption may reduce colon tumor development," said Daniel W. Rosenberg of UConn Health, principal investigator on the study. "There is accumulating evidence that eating walnuts may offer a variety of benefits related to health issues like cancer. This study shows that walnuts may also act as a probiotic to make the colon healthy, which in turn offers protection against colon tumors."

Walnuts contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids than any of the commonly eaten tree nuts. They also contain significant amounts of vitamin E.

"But walnuts are not merely the sum of their chemical parts, and it may be as a whole food that they pack the most significant anti-cancer punch against colon cancer, the third most common cancer in the world," says Kim Krieger of UConn Communications. "Other studies have shown walnuts have promise warding off diseases connected to diet and lifestyle, including heart disease, diabetes, and neurological disorders."

The accompanying slideshow is provided by The Daily Meal special contributor Natalia Sloam.