Black Walnuts and Health

Acute Consumption of Breakfast Meals With Black Walnut, English Walnuts, or no Nuts

Walnuts are a nutrient dense food, but most health research is on English walnuts (EW). Black walnuts (BW) contain a different antioxidant and fatty acid profile, and more protein, compared to EW. The purpose of the study was to compare postprandial responses following the consumption of 3 breakfast meals containing either butter (control), BW, or EW.

This study was a randomized, double-blind control trial consisting of 3 study visits for 3 different treatments. The treatments were high-fat breakfast muffins containing either butter (control), black walnuts, or English walnuts. The investigators recruited healthy, normal-weight adults between the ages of 15 and 45y. Study visits were completed in a random order with at least 72 hours between each visit. Anthropometrics, questionnaires, and fasting and postprandial blood samples were collected at each visit.

Hypothesis: The walnut-containing meals would mitigate post-meal increases in glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), and lipid peroxidation while improving all measures of subjective appetite and TAC compared to the traditional meal without nuts.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adult men and women
• Normal-weight (body mass index = 18-24.9kg/m2)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Allergies to test meal ingredients (gluten, eggs, or nuts)
• Medication/supplement usage
• Chronic disease
• Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant
• Special diets
• Tobacco use