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An extract from walnuts can apparently alleviate many of the health disadvantages associated with eating heated or cooked high-fat foods. For example, an extract from walnuts inhibits fat accumulation and inflammation in the liver. In addition, positive effects on body weight and oxidative stress are to be expected.
A new study examined the toxicity of a thermally oxidized, high-fat diet in mice and examined what influence a walnut extract can have on this. The results are published in the English-language “Journal of Functional Foods”.
Dangers of heating high-fat foods
When high-fat foods are heated or cooked, oxidation can change the chemical structure of the fats they contain. Such oxidation can, for example, lead to the formation of free radicals and other reactive oxygen species, which are associated with cell damage, the researchers explain.
In the new study, they tested the toxicity of the heated high-fat food in mice, which were divided into two different groups. One group of animals received thermally oxidized high-fat food, while the other mice served as a control group, the team reports.
Increased fat accumulation in the liver
The researchers’ biochemical and histological analyzes showed that the animals on the thermally oxidized high-fat diet had higher fat accumulation in the liver than the mice in the control group.
In addition, the animals on the thermally oxidized high-fat diet also had higher levels of liver inflammatory markers, an altered lipid profile, reduced antioxidant status and higher body weight, experts add.
Another effect of the oxidative high-fat diet was a significant increase in hepatic lipase, an enzyme that is mainly produced in the liver and plays an important role in the body’s fat metabolism.
In addition, an oxidized, high-fat diet led to an increase in so-called phospholipids and lysophospholipids, both of which are important for the structure and function of cell membranes, according to the research team.
Benefits of Walnut Extract
However, by consuming an extract from walnuts, it was possible to improve the animals’ liver lipase, phospholipid and lysophospholipid levels, according to the team. In addition, consumption of the extract also improved the body weight, lipid profiles and antioxidant status of the mice.
Another benefit of consuming the walnut extract was the reduction in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), the team adds. These cytokines can, among other things, increase inflammation in the body.
Walnut extract effectively protects the liver
Based on the study results, the researchers assume that walnut extract is a valuable source of hepatoprotective substances. In other words: it protects the liver while supporting its function.
Consuming walnut extract improved the antioxidant status and significantly reduced liver inflammation in the mice, according to the research team. Further studies are now required to check whether the effects shown can also be transferred to humans. (as)