From Christmas to New Year's Eve, between one dessert and another, leaving room for traditional dried fruit is good for your health, including dates, prunes and walnuts, you fill up on antioxidants and other healthy substances. According to a study published in Nutrients, walnuts improve waistline, fat and insulin levels in the blood, even without eating a low-calorie diet. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center involved 84 individuals aged 22-36 who were overweight or obese. Participants had abdominal, elevated triglycerides, low good cholesterol, high blood pressure, or elevated blood glucose levels. During the study period, participants consumed one gram of unsalted nuts or one gram of a snack twice a day with the same amount of calories, protein, fiber, and sodium. Women who consumed nuts experienced a reduction in waist circumference with an average difference of -2.20 cm compared to the snack group, a trend towards a reduction in visceral fat. Males in the walnut group experienced a reduction in blood insulin levels.
The whole group of nuts saw an effect on the triglyceride ratio and an increase in good cholesterol. But it's not just nuts: dates, typical of the holidays, are rich in protective antioxidants (polyphenols, carotenoids and lignans) useful in managing the risk of chronic diseases.
A study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that consuming dates could reduce the risk of colon cancer due to the high fiber and polyphenol content. In addition, they could support bone health, in fact they are a source of minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
They're also a source of vitamin K. And then there's prunes: According to a study in The Journal of Nutrition, consuming prunes every day could help reduce inflammation and mitigate the effects of bone loss in postmenopausal women. Experts have seen that with a consumption of 50-100 grams of prunes per day, significant reductions in inflammatory cytokines and pro-inflammatory cells are observed. "These findings could be attributed to the abundance of bioactive compounds found in prunes, including vitamins, minerals, phenolic acids, and polyphenols, which likely act synergistically to suppress inflammation that promotes bone resorption," says co-author Connie Rogers, PhD, of the University of Georgia. Make room for all the dried fruit that should become a constant in the daily diet even in small doses.
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