Your diet is also important for your mental health. Various studies have recently shown a correlation between eating walnuts and a lower risk of depression.

Walnuts are not just a valuable source of minerals, protein and omega 3, but they can also be a natural remedy if you are struggling with your mood, especially for women. A study conducted by UCLA on the eating habits of 26,000 people showed that the risk of depression fell by 26% among those who ate walnuts and by 8% for those who ate other types of nuts, compared with participants who did not eat any walnuts.

Participants answered a questionnaire assessing how often they felt a lack of interest in doing things, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, feeling tired or having little energy and difficulty concentrating. According to the results, people who ate walnuts (eating an average of 24 g a day) had more interest in doing things, higher energy levels, a lower state of “despair”, better concentration and greater optimism.

The beneficial effect against the symptoms of depression, linked to the typical nutritional elements of walnuts, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, was stronger in women, who are generally more likely to become depressed and use antidepressant drugs.

Another study, conducted by a Spanish university and published in 2023 in the Clinical Nutrition journal, confirmed that eating a handful of walnuts is enough to reduce the likelihood of developing symptoms of depression by almost 20% in adults and the elderly. After an average periodic check-up of about 5 years, it was found that participants who ate up to 30 g of nuts every day were less likely to suffer from depression than participants who did not eat any.

Sources:

• Bizzozero-Peroni, Bruno et al. Nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of depression in adults: A prospective analysis with data from the UK Biobank cohort. Clinical Nutrition, 2023, Volume 42, Issue 9, 1728 – 1736
• Arab L, Guo R, Elashoff D. Lower Depression Scores among Walnut Consumers in NHANES. Nutrients. 2019 Jan 26; 11(2):275.