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DO WALNUTS PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND BOWEL CANCER?

A handful of walnuts a day may prevent heart disease and bowel cancer, research suggested in May 2018.

Eating just a third of a cup of walnuts for six weeks significantly reduces the production of excess bile acids, as well as lowering 'bad' cholesterol levels, a study found.

Previous research has linked such bile acids to bowel cancer, while lower cholesterol levels are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

Researchers believe walnuts' high-fibre content encourages the growth of 'good' bacteria in the gut, which benefits people's heart and colon health.

The scientists also found that despite walnuts being relatively high in calories, with around 28 per nut, only 80 per cent of them are absorbed, with gut bacteria using up the remaining 20 per cent.

Results further suggest people who eat a handful of walnuts a day produce less secondary bile acids, which are made in the bowel rather than the liver like their primary counterparts.

Lead author Professor Hannah Holscher, from the University of Illinois, said: 'Secondary bile acids have been shown to be higher in individuals with higher rates of colorectal cancer.

'Secondary bile acids can be damaging to cells within the GI tract and microbes make those secondary bile acids.

'If we can reduce secondary bile acids in the gut, it may also help with human health.'

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