SOME NUTRITIONAL ADVANTAGES OF WALNUTS

Walnuts contain between 63 and 70% oil, more than 90% of this oil contains unsaturated fatty acids and the oleic acid content ranges from 12 to 20%. Phytosterols and vitamin E are also dissolved in the oil fraction and these along with oleic acid are the most positive nutritional features of walnuts. Earlier experiments have outlined the potential cholesterol lowering effect of consuming walnuts but they seldom record the full nutritional profile of the nuts. New Zealand grown cultivars show a wide range in content of these important constituents and this range therefore provides the opportunity to investigate the different nutritional effects of each main constituent. Initial analysis showed that Rex, a New Zealand selected walnut contained the highest level of polyunsaturated fatty acids of any cultivar. To characterise the effect of this cultivar in the human diet, 60g of Rex walnuts were fed as a daily addition to the diet of volunteers. The blood profile of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were monitored before and after the addition of walnuts to the diet. Initial analysis showed that the dietary supplement had a positive effect on most of the volunteers. It is likely that this effect was caused by the addition of polyunsaturated fatty acids, plant sterols and vitamin E from the nuts and these results confirm that walnuts are a healthy addition to the diet.

IV International Walnut Symposium

G.P. Savage, D.L. McNeil, P.C. Dutta

fatty acids, sterols, vitamin E, dietary supplements, blood cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.544.78