What Is Walnut Oil?
Walnut oil is created by pressing walnuts until all of the oils have been released. It has a golden brown color and a pleasant, nutty taste that turns somewhat bitter when heated excessively. You should certainly avoid using this cooking oil over high heat.
Walnut oil can be easily found in any grocery store and can be substituted for most other cooking oils in dishes, sauces, and dressings. Although walnut oil tastes great when used on food, it has other applications as well.
Nutrition Information
One tablespoon of walnut oil contains:
- Calories: 120 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
Walnut oil is a good source of Vitamins such as E and K, Phosphorus, and Zinc. It is also high in Selenium. This antioxidant helps to maintain a healthy thyroid function and may lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline.
Health Benefits of Walnut Oil
Research shows that walnut oil has a number of health benefits:
Lower Risk of Diabetes
Walnut oil is full of antioxidants that lower your blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.
Studies show that these antioxidants also have anti-inflammatory benefits.
Our bodies naturally respond to stress and infection with inflammation, but this reaction can also lead to insulin resistance, which prevents the body from using glucose. This increases blood sugar levels, increasing your chance of being overweight and getting diabetes.
Boosts Skin Health
The nutrients present in walnut oil may enhance skin health. According to research, walnut oil contains omega-3 fatty acids which help form the structural components of your skin.
The oil’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may help slow signs of aging, speed up wound healing, and cure conditions like eczema, acne, and even some skin cancers.
Reduce Inflammation
By including walnut oil in your diet, you may be able to reduce chronic inflammation, which has been related to cancer, heart disease, and other health issues.
Walnut contains a lot of polyphenols as well, which your gut bacteria may use to create other beneficial compounds. These substances may have anti-inflammatory effects and function as antioxidants to prevent cell damage brought on by free radicals. This may help to explain how walnut oil might reduce inflammation and boost cellular antioxidant activity.
Improves Cholesterol levels
Regular consumption of walnuts may reduce high triglyceride and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which otherwise increase the risk of heart disease. This could be because walnuts contain large amounts of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
One study also demonstrates that people who consumed walnut oil on a daily basis had significantly lower blood levels of triglycerides relative to those who didn’t.
Improves Heart Health
The alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, makes up the majority of the fat in walnut oil. When included in your regular diet, this “healthy fat” can cut your risk of heart disease by 10%. The reason for this is that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce cholesterol levels, thereby maintaining the health and function of your arteries.
Moreover, walnuts lower triglyceride levels, a type of fat linked to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. According to another research, walnut oil can even help the body cope with stress by regulating blood pressure and easing the load on the heart.
Cancer Prevention
Walnut oil contains several compounds that may slow the spread of certain cancers. Your body transforms the ellagitannins in walnuts into ellagic acid and subsequently, other substances known as urolithins. Urolithins have been linked to the regulation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) – a risk factor for prostate cancer.
In animal and observational studies, eating walnuts have also been associated with a reduced risk of developing breast and colorectal cancer.
However, more extensive research focusing on the effects of walnut oil on humans is needed before conclusions can be drawn about its anticancer effects.
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