Whole walnuts are pressed to extract walnut oil. It has a nutty, delicate flavour and some of the same beneficial nutrients and components as walnuts, such as unsaturated fatty acids and plant compounds known as polyphenols. Walnut oil use may enhance heart health, reduce blood sugar, and have anticancer properties. However, research has primarily concentrated on whole walnuts rather than walnut oil. This article discusses some of the anticipated benefits of walnut oil.
1. Aids Skin Health
The ingredients in walnut oil may be beneficial to skin health. One tbsp (13.6 grams) of walnut oil provides more than 8 grams, or more than 5 times the DRI, of an omega-3 fatty acid known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Some ALA is transformed in your body into the longer forms of omega-3 fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which help create the structural components of your skin. As a result, omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in walnut oil, may stimulate skin growth, combat inflammatory skin conditions, and enhance wound healing. In brief, walnut oil increases your intake of important fatty acids, which are essential for skin health.
2. Lowers Blood Pressure
Walnut oil may help reduce high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease. According to research, diets high in whole walnuts can help decrease blood pressure, owing to their high quantities of ALA, LA, and polyphenols. Because walnut oil contains these chemicals, it may have similar effects. In one research of 15 persons with overweight or obesity and moderately high cholesterol levels, walnut oil consumption dramatically improved blood vessel function, which may help lower blood pressure.
3. Regulates Blood Sugar
Consuming walnut oil may help with type 2 diabetes and poor blood sugar control. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause eye and kidney damage, heart disease, and stroke over time. Consuming foods that lower blood sugar levels, such as walnut oil, can help prevent these issues.
4. Reduces Inflammation
Including walnut oil in your diet may help to combat chronic inflammation, which has been related to heart disease, certain malignancies, and other health problems. Walnuts are also high in ellagitannins, which are polyphenols that your gut flora transform into various healthy substances. These chemicals may have anti-inflammatory properties and serve as antioxidants to protect cells from free radical damage. This could explain why walnut oil has been shown in lab experiments to reduce inflammation and improve cell antioxidant activity.
5. Anticancer Effects
Certain components in walnut oil may aid in the prevention of the progression of certain malignancies. Your body transforms the ellagitannins in walnuts into ellagic acid, which is then converted into urolithins. In animal and observational studies, walnut consumption has also been related to lower rates of breast and colorectal cancer.