Eating walnuts ‘can help protect against Alzheimer’s disease’

People could reduce their risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease through increased consumption of walnuts.

This is according to a new study from New York State Institute, which provided lab mice with a walnut-enriched diet in order to further investigate the protective effects of walnut extract against the oxidative damage caused by amyloid beta proteins.

It was found that animals that consumed high quantities of walnuts experienced significant improvements in learning skills, memory and motor development, as well as reducing anxiety.

This means they could potentially reduce the risk, delay the onset, slow the progression of, or even prevent Alzheimer's disease, in addition to their other proven nutritional benefits.

Lead researcher Dr Abha Chauhan said: "These findings are very promising and help lay the groundwork for future human studies on walnuts and Alzheimer's disease – a disease for which there is no known cure."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is predicted there will be more than 520,000 people in the UK affecting by the condition by 2015.