Breakfast handful of brain-boosting snack can lower dementia risk says professor

Daily Mirror

30-04-2025

A neuroscientist has served up some food for thought on how diet can be a shield against dementia by simply adding a handful of a certain nut to your morning cereal. Including walnuts as part of your breakfast routine can supercharge your memory and reaction times, according to a recent study from the University of Reading, reports Surrey Live.
Neuroscience professor Claire Williams discovered that incorporating 50g of walnuts into a mix with muesli and yoghurt significantly boosts the cognitive abilities of healthy young adults. That's compared to a calorie-matched breakfast without the nuts.
Just 50g of these crunchy brain-boosters (roughly a large handful) led to faster reaction times throughout the day. It also led to better memory performance later in the day when compared to an equivalent morning meal without the snack.
The study in the journal Food and Function enlisted the help of 32 healthy subjects between 18-30 years of age who ate both a walnut-enriched breakfast and a similar one without during different sittings. Participants were then put through their paces with assorted mental agility tests, with researchers monitoring their brain activity for six hours post-meal.
Professor Williams, who led the research, 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."
The research reveals that walnuts may aid your brain in functioning more effectively during tough tasks, with brain scans showing significant changes in activity. This is complemented by blood test results indicating improved glucose and fatty acid levels which are potential contributors to brain health.
Walnuts are full of omega-3 fats and polyphenols
Researchers know that walnuts are full of healthy omega-3 fats, proteins, and a cocktail of brain-boosting polyphenols. They also note that further study is essential to truly understand how these nuts improve our brain power.
The National Library of Health suggested that it's worth eating walnuts early in life to fend off dementia. Note, however, that whole nuts and peanuts should not be given to children under 5 years old, as they can choke on them.
Their paper states: "Because it takes many years for cognitive impairment and dementia to develop, we suggest that early and long-term dietary supplementation with walnuts may help to maintain cognitive functions and may reduce the risk of developing, or delay the onset and/or slow the progression of, MCI and dementia.
"Furthermore, several animal and human studies have suggested that walnuts may also decrease the risk or progression of other brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, and depression, as well as of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Together, these reports suggest the benefits of a walnut-enriched diet in brain disorders and in other chronic diseases, due to the additive or synergistic effects of walnut components for protection against oxidative stress and inflammation in these diseases."
The research emphasised the significant roles of so-called oxidative stress (an imbalance in the body of harmful molecules) and inflammation in the ageing process - including dementia, and other age-related illnesses. The good news is that thanks to their robust content of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, walnuts could help combat inflammation and oxidative harm.
The study concluded: "Our studies have demonstrated that walnuts reduce oxidative stress not only by decreasing free radical levels but also by boosting antioxidant defense, thus reducing oxidative damage to lipids and proteins."