<p class="title rtejustify">A diet rich in walnuts may not lead to weight gain or increase the risk of obesity, a study conducted in healthy elders claims.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The study, published in the journal Nutrients, found that healthy elders consuming nearly 300 calories of walnuts daily did not show any negative effects on body weight and composition.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The findings by researchers at Loma Linda University (LLU) in the US also expand the knowledge of how nuts can affect the independently living, predominantly healthy, elderly people.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"There is a widespread fallacy that the fats in nut cause weight gain, and therefore could lead to issues such as obesity, or other weight-related health issues such as heart disease or diabetes," said Edward Bitok, an assistant professor at Loma Linda University.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"The research, however, shows that nuts are a healthful snack," Bitok said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">During the study, healthy elders -- with mean age of 69 years and 67 per cent women -- were randomly assigned to walnut or control diets.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Subjects in the walnut group received packaged walnuts, about 28–56 grammes per day, to incorporate into their habitual diet, while those in the control group abstained from walnuts.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">After two years, no significant differences were noticed between the control and walnut groups regarding body weight or body fat, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Because of their high energy content, many people have believed the misconception that nuts cause unwanted weight gain, and avoid them altogether," said Bitok.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"This study helps us understand more about good fats versus bad fats and disproves the idea that the fats in nuts are unhealthy and cause weight-gain," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The study was a sub-study of the Walnuts and Healthy Aging Study (WAHA), the first large study to test if walnuts play a part in healthy ageing.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The WAHA study tested how daily consumption of walnuts was associated with age-related cognitive decline and macular degeneration in seniors.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Prior studies examining walnut consumption and body weight have focused on younger individuals and for shorter durations, researchers said. </p>
<p class="title rtejustify">A diet rich in walnuts may not lead to weight gain or increase the risk of obesity, a study conducted in healthy elders claims.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The study, published in the journal Nutrients, found that healthy elders consuming nearly 300 calories of walnuts daily did not show any negative effects on body weight and composition.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The findings by researchers at Loma Linda University (LLU) in the US also expand the knowledge of how nuts can affect the independently living, predominantly healthy, elderly people.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"There is a widespread fallacy that the fats in nut cause weight gain, and therefore could lead to issues such as obesity, or other weight-related health issues such as heart disease or diabetes," said Edward Bitok, an assistant professor at Loma Linda University.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"The research, however, shows that nuts are a healthful snack," Bitok said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">During the study, healthy elders -- with mean age of 69 years and 67 per cent women -- were randomly assigned to walnut or control diets.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Subjects in the walnut group received packaged walnuts, about 28–56 grammes per day, to incorporate into their habitual diet, while those in the control group abstained from walnuts.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">After two years, no significant differences were noticed between the control and walnut groups regarding body weight or body fat, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Because of their high energy content, many people have believed the misconception that nuts cause unwanted weight gain, and avoid them altogether," said Bitok.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"This study helps us understand more about good fats versus bad fats and disproves the idea that the fats in nuts are unhealthy and cause weight-gain," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The study was a sub-study of the Walnuts and Healthy Aging Study (WAHA), the first large study to test if walnuts play a part in healthy ageing.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The WAHA study tested how daily consumption of walnuts was associated with age-related cognitive decline and macular degeneration in seniors.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Prior studies examining walnut consumption and body weight have focused on younger individuals and for shorter durations, researchers said. </p>