Searching for a snack that won’t leave you diving for the biscuit tin 10 minutes later? Walnuts could be the answer.
According to a new study, eating a handful of walnuts a day can suppress hunger and make you feel fuller for longer.
Research from the University of Georgia indicated that the nut contains high amounts of polyunsaturated fats which prevent overeating. These polyunsaturated fats dial down the hunger hormone and increase feelings of fullness.
Nutritionist Professor Jamie Cooper explains, “Appetite hormones play an important role in regulating how much we eat. These findings tell us that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats, like those found in walnuts, may favourably change appetite hormones so we can feel fuller for longer.”
Their study recorded hormone level changes among 26 young men and women. They were given a diet rich in polyunsaturated fats for one week, and a diet rich in saturated fats for another, and the differences were compared.
When they spent a week eating a diet rich in polyunsaturated fats they had a significant decrease in the hormone that increases hunger, and a similar increase in the hormone that increases fullness.
Via Grazia
