Eating a handful of walnuts regularly helps children’s brains develop and mature

(John Anderer/ Study Finds) –– It turns out that walnuts really are brain food! While adolescence and immaturity go hand-in-hand, but fascinating new research out of Spain suggests eating walnuts on a regular basis may help young children and teens’ brains develop — and even contributes to their psychological maturation.

These findings come from a new study led by the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), in collaboration with the ISGlobal (a center promoted by “la Caixa” Foundation) and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM). Study authors believe their work is groundbreaking; while prior studies have focused on the effects of nuts on human health, scientists have not examined the specific impact of their consumption during the critical developmental stage of adolescence — until now.

Walnuts are naturally rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 known to play a key role in the development of the human brain, especially early in life. (…)