Promising effects were seen in executive function and memory recall tasks
A recent study published in Food & Function set out to determine whether eating a walnut-rich breakfast would lead to cognitive improvements throughout the day.
This double-blind, crossover pilot study included a total of 32 healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Participants ate a breakfast containing 50 grams of walnuts or a calorie-matched control breakfast containing no nuts. Cognition, mood, blood, and electroencephalogram measures were recorded at baseline and 2, 4, and 6 hours after the meal.
After eating walnuts, participants showed faster reaction times throughout the day on executive function tasks. Moreover, participants who ate the walnut-rich breakfast outperformed those who ate the control breakfast on memory recall performance 6 hours after the meal. The findings provided evidence that a walnut-rich breakfast leads to reaction time benefits throughout the day, as well as memory benefits later in the day.
This study was funded by the California Walnut Commission.
Bell, L., Dodd, G. F., Jeavons, M., Fisher, D. R., Whyte, A. R., Shukitt-Hale, B., & Williams, C. M. (2025). The impact of a walnut-rich breakfast on cognitive performance and brain activity throughout the day in healthy young adults: a crossover intervention trial. Food & Function, 16(5), 1696–1707.