Walnuts are known to be a health-promoting food because they provide healthy unsaturated fats and are rich in the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), but the findings of this study indicate that they are a simple food that can also help combat stress.
For the randomized clinical trial, co-funded by the University of South Australia and the California Walnut Commission, the participant group who ate walnuts also experienced an increase in metabolic markers that are linked with protection against stress. Additionally, in females only, eating walnuts may have countered the negative effects of academic stress on the diversity of the gut bacteria.