Walnuts for breakfast could improve brain function throughout the day, study suggests

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A healthy handful of walnuts in your breakfast could improve brain function throughout the day, a new study has shown.

Researchers at the University of Reading found that eating 50g of walnuts mixed into muesli and yoghurt improved reaction times throughout the day and led to a better memory performance later on in the day, when compared to eating an equivalent calorie-matched breakfast without nuts.

The study, published in the Food & Function journal, involved 32 healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, who consumed both a walnut-rich breakfast and a matched breakfast on separate occasions.

They completed various cognitive tests while their brain activity was monitored in the six hours after eating breakfast.

Professor Claire Williams, who led the research from the University of Reading, said: “This study helps strengthen the case for walnuts as brain food.

“A handful of walnuts with breakfast could give young adults a mental edge when they need to perform at the top of their game. It’s particularly exciting that such a simple dietary addition could make a measurable difference to cognitive performance.”

Researchers found that while memory recall performance after two hours was worse when people ate walnuts, after six hours, the finding was reversed and walnuts outperformed the control dish.

This is the first study to examine the immediate effect of walnuts on brain function for young adults throughout a single day, building on previous research that shows how regular nut consumption improves cognitive function.

While the benefits of a walnut-rich breakfast were evident in a younger population, researchers noted that it remains to be seen whether it would also benefit older people or clinical populations, such as those with cognitive impairment or metabolic syndromes.

Recordings of brain activity suggest that walnuts may help the brain work more efficiently during challenging mental tasks, while blood samples revealed positive changes in glucose and fatty acid levels, which can influence brain function.

The researchers suggested that walnuts have a special mix of nutrients – including omega-3 alpha linolenic fatty acids, protein, and plant compounds called polyphenols – that may improve how the brain performs.

However, the researchers noted that more research was needed to fully understand how walnuts produce these beneficial effects on the brain.