A new study published in Food Science and Human Wellness adds to the growing evidence that walnuts can benefit brain health.
More than 600 cognitively healthy older adults were instructed to follow either a walnut-rich diet (where walnuts accounted for 15% of their daily energy) or a control diet that excluded walnuts. After two years, researchers found that participants who ate walnuts every day had higher levels of compounds called urolithins, which are produced by gut bacteria from the polyphenols naturally found in walnuts.
The study showed that higher levels of certain urolithins were associated with better overall cognitive performance, including measures of memory and thinking skills. These compounds have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help protect brain cells from age-related damage. The findings provide further evidence that eating walnuts as part of a healthy diet may help support healthy brain ageing.
Galkina, P., Domínguez-López, I., Cofán, M., Pozzoli, C., Jáuregui, O., Abarca-Rivas, C., … & Lamuela-Raventós, R. M. (2026). Urolithins from Walnuts Are Associated with Cognitive Performance: Ancillary Results from the Walnuts and Healthy Aging (WAHA) Randomized Trial. Food Science and Human Wellness.
