Many health Benefits of Eating Walnut
Make sure eat them in moderation. This research will help boost Male Fertility after eating walnuts. In fact, walnuts are said to be the best nut, beating out all other nuts with almost twice as much antioxidants when compared to other common nuts like almonds, peanuts, pecans and pistachios. Walnuts improve cardiovascular function and have wonderful anti-inflammatory properties. But did you know that walnuts could help you get a better night's sleep and help lower your risk of weight gain. Here are some healthy reasons to get more walnuts into your diet.
Weight reduction
Slim down by adding walnuts to your diet. Studies have shown a decrease in abdominal adiposity, which is the technical way of expressing the collection of fat around the mid-section, among test subjects who added walnuts to their diets.
Fiber
Walnuts are high in fiber. Fiber is good for your body because it can help control your blood sugar levels, lowers your blood cholesterol levels, and it helps maintain normal, healthy bowel movements.
Cholesterol
Studies have shown that walnuts can help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is also known as "bad cholesterol." High levels of LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the inner walls of the arteries that lead to the heart and brain. Many of these studies have not found a specific explanation for the reduction of LDL cholesterol in test subjects who had their diets supplemented with walnuts, but the drop in LDL cholesterol was significant.
Type 2 diabetes
The majority of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are experiencing other health related issues, including a high risk for heart disease. By including a handful of walnuts to their daily diet, those who are suffering from Type 2 diabetes can get the recommended intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, like omega-3, that are vital for a healthier heart.
Cancer fighting benefits
Since walnuts carry twice as many antioxidants when compared to other common nuts, they are also shown to have numerous cancer fighting benefits. Prostate cancer and breast cancer are the two most studied cases of walnuts and their ability to fight cancer.
Protein
Walnuts contain a significant amount of protein, a macronutrient that is important for many parts of the body. The amino acids that protein is made out of, help in the body's growth and repair. Protein is important for building muscles, and repairing muscles after weight-lifting.
Vitamins and nutrients
An abundance of vitamins and nutrients can be found in walnuts, including calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and phosphorus. Other vitamins and nutrients found in walnuts include antioxidants like copper and manganese.
Improve Blood Vessel Health
Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent erratic heart rhythms, make blood less likely to clot, and impact how much plaque accumulates in blood vessels. The essential amino acide, l-argnine, helps blood vessels relax and remain smooth, improving the elasticity of the blood vessel. This means improved mental function and protection against heart disease and stroke.
Eat Walnuts Instead of Saturated Fat
Eating walnuts reduces your risk of coronary heart disease. But simply adding walnuts on top of high calorie meals laden with saturated fat isn't the way to go about it. Instead, you need to replace foods containing high amounts of saturated fat with walnuts.
Walnuts Lower Risks
There are other health benefits to you from eating as little as one to two handful of walnuts a week. Walnuts have been shown to lower your risk of gallstones and lower your bad cholesterol. What's more, the omega-3 fatty acids that lower LDL cholesterol are much higher in walnuts than other nuts.
Walnuts Improve Sleep
Do you have trouble getting a good night's sleep? Walnuts can help; here's why. The body's pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin that induces sleep and helps regulate sleep. This hormone is found in walnuts--making walnuts a great evening or bedtime snack for improving your sleep.
Walnuts Are Dieter-Friendly
Although high in fats and concentrated in calories, the fats in walnuts are healthy fats. And walnuts are a great source of fiber and protein. As a result, eating walnuts helps you feel full and feel satisfied. This is good news for dieters.
Walnuts Provide Antioxidant Defense
Walnuts are a great source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid that the body can't manufacture. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant defense protects healthy cells from the damaging effects of free radicals.
Nutrition Value of Walnut
Basic Nutrition
One oz. of walnuts, about 28 g, or approximately 14 walnut halves, contains 185 calories and 18.5 g of fat. While high in calories and fat, walnuts are low in saturated fat, the kind that may lead to heart disease. One oz. contains only 1.7 g of saturated fat. Walnuts contain 3.9 g of carbohydrates per oz., including 1.9 g of fiber. The high fiber content of walnuts can contribute to the health of your digestive tract. There are 4.3 g of protein in 1 oz. of walnuts and only 1 mg of sodium, making them a very low-sodium food. Walnuts, like all plant products, contain no cholesterol.
Healthy Fats
The vast majority of fat in walnuts is made up of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. These fats are considered essential because the body cannot produce them on its own; they must be supplied by the diet. Walnuts contain both omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. There are 10.8 g of omega-6 fats and 2.6 g of omega-3 fats per oz. of walnuts. Omega-3 fats, such as the form alpha-linolenic acid found in walnuts, can boost heart health and help prevent cardiovascular disease when consumed in place of other fats. Most people do not get enough omega-3 fats in the diet. Few plant sources contain omega-3 fats, so walnuts are a good source for those who lack omega-3 fats in their diet.
Micronutrients
One oz. of walnuts supplies 1 mg of manganese, about 48 percent of the daily recommended intake of this trace element. Walnuts also contain 450 mcg of copper per oz., over 20 percent of the daily intake of this mineral. Walnuts provide more than 10 percent of the daily recommendation of magnesium and phosphorus as well. Other micronutrients present in walnuts include vitamins C, E, B6 and K, folate, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, choline, betaine, niacin, calcium, iron, potassium, thiamin, zinc and selenium.
Phytochemicals
Walnuts are rich in health-boosting phytochemicals, too. They contain the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Phytosterols, compounds linked to boosted immune function, a reduction of blood cholesterol and a lowered risk of some forms of cancer, are also present in walnuts. According to Nutra Ingredients, English walnuts contain 113 mg of phytosterols per 100 g. Many of the phytochemicals found in walnuts contribute to their antioxidant activity.
What is Sperm Quality?
Semen quality is a measure of the ability of semen to accomplish fertilization. Thus, it is a measure of fertility in a man. It is the sperm in the semen that are of importance, and therefore semen quality involves both sperm quantity and quality. Decreased semen quality is a major factor of male infertility.
How to Produce Healthy Sperm
1. Strive to reach and maintain a healthy weight for your structure.
Having too much or too little body fat can disrupt production of the following male reproductive hormones:
-Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) - released by the hypothalamus; prompts the pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.
-Luteinizing hormone (LH) - released by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland; tells specialized cells in the testicles to produce testosterone.
-Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) - also released by the anterior pituitary; tells the seminiferous tubules in the testicles to produce sperm.
-Testosterone - produced in specialized cells in the testicles; stimulates production of sperm in testicles and increases sex drive.
Because body fat is closely associated with the production of these male reproductive hormones, a man is most likely to produce healthy sperm when he is at a healthy weight for his structure.
2. Get regular exercise, but don't overdo it.
Being physically active is good for reproductive health, but exercising to exhaustion on a regular basis can disrupt hormone levels in a way that lowers sperm quality.
Emotional stress leads to an increase in cortisol production, which in turn, leads to a number of changes to the male reproductive hormones listed above, which results in lower sperm quality.
Folate, selenium, and zinc are particularly important to producing healthy sperm. Vitamins C and E are thought to protect sperm against damage by the environmental stressors listed in the next section.
How to Keep Sperm Healthy
1. Prevent overheating of testicles.
Tight underwear, prolonged sitting, use of laptop computers directly on one's lap, and even being in a hot working environment can all increase scrotal temperature and decrease sperm count.
2. Avoid hot baths and hot tubs.
Spending 30 or more minutes in water that is 102 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) or above can significantly lower sperm count.
3. Stay away from anabolic steroids, testosterone-based supplements, and anti-androgen drugs.
All of these drugs may reduce fertility by interfering with sperm production. The most commonly used anti-androgen drugs are those prescribed to treat prostate enlargement, prostate cancer, and male pattern baldness.
4. Avoid tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol.
Regular use of tobacco (including chewing tobacco), marijuana, and large amounts of alcohol are all strongly linked with low sperm counts. There is even some evidence that suggests that heavy tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol usage can damage the DNA of sperm, which may result in abnormal fetal development and an increased risk of cancer for the next generation.
5. Avoid cimetidine (Tagamet)
Cimetidine is an over-the-counter drug that is used to treat heartburn and ulcers; regular use of cimetidine is strongly linked with low sperm counts.
6. Avoid large amounts of coffee.
While a cup of coffee per day isn't likely to reduce fertility, drinking several cups of coffee per day can definitely decrease sperm motility.
New Research- Walnuts May Improve Sperm Quality
A report on the study appeared online on 15 August in the Biology of Reproduction journal's papers-in-press section. Infertility and subfertility is a common problem that affects about 70 million couples worldwide. Between a third and a half of cases are due to poor semen quality in the male partner, with scientists giving a number of reasons for this in industrialized societies: pollution, unhealthy lifestyles and the Western-style diet cited amongst them.
First author Wendie Robbins, of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and colleagues focused on the last of these, as they explained in their background information to the study, We tested the hypothesis that 75 gm of whole-shelled walnuts/day added to a Western-style diet of healthy young men would beneficially affect semen quality.75 g is about 2.5 ozs, equivalent to one of those small snack-style packs you can get in the supermarket. A small packet of walnuts a day appear to help improve the vitality of sperm Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which play an important role in maturing sperm and preserving the integrity of the membrane around the cell which in turn affects its ability to fertilize an egg.
In the Western-style diet, PUFAs are usually found in fish, fish oil supplements, flax seed and walnuts. Walnuts also offer an important source of linolenic acid (ALA), a natural plant source of omega-3.
For their study, which was partially funded by the California Walnut Commission, Robbins and colleagues enrolled 117 healthy men aged 21 to 35 who followed a Western-style diet.The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 58 were asked to avoid eating tree nuts, and 59 were asked to eat 75 g of walnuts a day. The researchers picked 75 g because other studies have suggested this is enough to change lipid levels in the blood but not enough to make healthy young men put on weight.
All the participants gave blood and semen samples before and after the study period, which lasted 12 weeks.
The researchers assessed semen quality using the traditional measures of male fertility. These include sperm concentration, vitality (living versus dead sperm), motility (how well they travel towards an egg), morphology (shape and structure), and chromosome abnormalities.
The results found at the end of the 12 weeks, neither group showed significant changes in body weight, body mass, or physical activity levels (these factors can also affect sperm quality).
However, the men in the walnut group had higher levels of omega-6 and omega-3 (ALA) fatty acids in their blood at the end of the study period than they did at the start. The men in the walnut group also experienced improvements in sperm quality over the 12 weeks of eating walnuts, there were significant increases in measures of vitality, motility, and morphology. Their sperm also showed fewer chromosome abnormalities at the end of the 12 weeks than it did at the start of the study.
The control group, however, showed no such changes.
The researchers conclude that their,"Findings demonstrated that walnuts added to a Western-style diet improved sperm vitality, motility and morphology."
Note that the study only looks at the effect of walnut consumption on semen quality in healthy young men: it doesn't show whether it would have the same effect in men with fertility problems, or whether the observed improvements in semen quality actually result in increased fertility.
(Source- Biology of Reproduction Journl)
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