But they could also boost the cognitive development and psychological maturation of adolescents, according to new research out of Spain.
Researchers recruited 700 students ages 11 through 16from a variety of high schools in Barcelonaand divided them into two groups: those who werent offered walnuts, and those who were offered 30 grams of walnuts to consume daily for six months.
They found that adolescents who ate walnuts for at least 100 days during that periodnot necessarily in a row, but cumulativelyexperienced better focus, and that those who had ADHD saw significantly improved behavior.
The studys teens also saw a boost in intelligence, according to researchersa trait that has less to do with traditional learning and more to do with the inherent ability to complete complex tasks, like figuring out patterns and puzzles.
The results can likely be attributed to the walnutss alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA)a type of omega-3 that plays a substantial role in brain development, especially during adolescenceresearchers say. During that time, hormones stimulate synaptic growth in the brains frontal lobe, which is responsible for complex emotional and cognitive functions, Jordi Julvezthe studys principal investigator and a neuroscience researcher at the Clinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience Group in Spainsaid in a news release about the study.
Neurons that are well nourished with this type of fatty acid will be able to grow and form new, stronger synapses, he adds.
While adolescence is certainly a complex time for both young adults and parents alike, something as simple as offering your child a handful of walnuts a day, or at least three times a week could result in many substantial improvements in cognitive abilities, Ariadna Pinara biologist at the Institut dInvestigació Sanitària Pere Virgili in Spain, who worked on the studysaid in a news release about it.
It would help them face the challenges of adolescence and entering adulthood, she says.
To see benefits will require strong commitment, and few people will comply, the authors note. Still, compliance may change once the general public learns about the positive finding in those who comply.
The researchers plan to soon study the consumption of walnuts in pregnant women and its impact on the same traits in infants.
