A recent study published in Nutrients explored how adding 1 ounce (28 g) of walnuts to people’s usual diets affected diet quality and intake of nutrients of concern, including magnesium, fiber and potassium.

Using 24 h dietary recall data obtained from the dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers in the United States modeled the addition of 1 ounce of walnuts to the daily diet of people who usually do not consume nuts. The study included a total of 7,757 individuals aged ≥4 years. The researchers examined the percentages of the population with intakes below the estimated average requirement values for calcium, magnesium, folate and vitamin E and above the adequate intake values for potassium and fiber. Diet quality was assessed using the 2015 Healthy Eating Index. Significant differences between usual and modeled intakes of nutrients of concern were determined.

The researchers found that adding 1 ounce of walnuts to the usual diet significantly reduced the percentages of adults with intakes below the estimated average requirement for magnesium and folate, and increased the percentage of adults above the adequate intake value for potassium; similar trends were seen in children. Diet quality scores improved significantly both in children and in adults. The findings suggest that adding 1 ounce of walnuts daily may improve diet quality and adequacy of certain under-consumed nutrients.

This study was funded by the California Walnut Commission.

Spence, L. A., Henschel, B., Li, R., Tekwe, C. D., & Thiagarajah, K. (2023). Adding Walnuts to the Usual Diet Can Improve Diet Quality in the United States: Diet Modeling Study Based on NHANES 2015–2018. Nutrients, 15(2), 258.

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