How Nuts Improve Brain Function

It’s no secret that nuts have some pretty great health benefits — they’re full of healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and even antioxidants — but did you know they’re also great for your brain?

A 2017 study from Loma Linda University researchers found that regularly eating nuts can actually help with cognition, healing, learning, memory and other key brain activities. On top of that, “regular nut intake is linked to brain health benefits including slower cognitive decline, improved memory, and possibly reduced risk of dementia,” says Avery Zenker, a registered dietitian with MyHealthTeam. It all comes down to the healthy fats, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals that nuts are full of.

Of course, not all nuts are created equal — at least when it comes to their value to our brains. in that 2017 study, researchers tested six varieties of nuts — almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts — and found they all had high levels of antioxidants, with walnuts having the highest concentrations.

Pistachios produced the greatest gamma wave response of all the nuts tested, which is necessary for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep. Technically, peanuts are legumes, but since they literally have “nut” in their name and most of us put them in that category anyway, they were included in the study. Turns out, they produced the highest delta response, which can help with immunity, natural healing and deep sleep.

So what is it about nuts that makes them so brain-friendly? Many of the nutrients in nuts contain antioxidant properties, Zenker explains, which “help lower inflammation and combat oxidative stress.” The polyunsaturated fats in nuts — especially the omega-3s in walnuts — have been linked to reduced brain inflammation, studies have found. And, Zenker adds, “Vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, and selenium are essential micronutrients found in nuts that play important roles in nervous system function and antioxidant defense.”

Zenker says that walnuts are especially a standout, thanks to those omega-3s. “Omega-3 is an essential fat that has potent anti-inflammatory benefits,” she explains. That’s important for your brain health, because “neuroinflammation is one of the primary contributors to cognitive decline,” Zenker says.

Nuts also support brain health indirectly, Zenker adds, by promoting a healthy gut microbiome (which has a major effect on your brain health via the gut-brain axis) and benefiting cardiovascular health, which improves blood flow and nutrient delivery to the brain.

Of course, nuts are also beneficial for the rest of your body; they are great for your heart, gut, brain, skin, immune, and metabolic health, Zenker says. And you can get those benefits with just a handful of mixed nuts a day — not too shabby for a quick health boost.

A version of this article was originally published in 2017.