Wonder Nut

A walnut extract successfully fights cancer cells

Walnuts have many benefits including being a good source of essential omega-3 fats, protein, several vitamins and minerals. They also contain a wealth of other compounds beneficial to heath, such as polyphenols. And now science is showing us how amazing walnuts are in fighting cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types and in as many as 50 per cent of patients the cancer recurs. This is largely due to the self-renewal capacity and fast growth of cancer stem cells. A scientific team tested the effects of a walnut extract, rich in polyphenols, on human colorectal cancer cells. After two, four and six days, the extract inhibited the cancer cell growth by 34, 59 and 85 per cent respectively. They then tested whether the walnut extract had any effect on the ability of cancer cells to form colonies and discovered it suppressed the colony formation by up to 94 per cent!

These results are obviously very positive although it is unclear how they translate into a real life scenario. Either way, walnuts are a very healthy part of any diet and if they can also fight cancer, what more could you wish for?

_{Lee J et al., 2016. Walnut Phenolic Extract and Its Bioactive Compounds Suppress Colon Cancer Cell Growth by Regulating Colon Cancer Stemness. Nutrients. 8(7). pii: E439.}