Walnuts may play a key role in fighting colon cancer, a new study suggests.
This is according to researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, who set out to explore how the body's micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) - which can alter the make-up of genes - change following the consumption of walnuts.
The doctors used mice for their study, dividing them into two groups, with one being fed two ounces of walnuts per day (classed as equivalent to two human-sized servings), while the other was put on a controlled diet that did not contain any walnuts.
After 25 days of this eating plan, it was found that among the mice who had been consuming walnuts each day, omega-3 levels were on average ten times higher, while essential miRNA needed to control the blood supply and the inflammation of cancer cells were positively engaged.
What's more, mice that had been diagnosed with colon cancer and ate walnuts had much slower tumour growth rates than those who did not consume the nuts.
These results suggest that walnuts may help to fight colon cancer, but as the study was conducted on mice, further investigations are needed to see whether or not this is also the case for humans.
It is thought that the slowed growth is due to the high omega-3 content of walnuts, as well as the presence of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is another fatty acid known to reduce inflammation. Walnuts are one of the only foodstuffs to contain high levels of ALA - around 2.5 grams per ounce.
Lead author of the study Dr Christos Mantzoros commented: 'A walnut diet incorporates protective fatty acids in the colonic tumour either through its direct effects or through additive or synergistic effects of multiple other compounds present in walnuts.
'While future studies are needed, we're optimistic of the role of miRNAs as biomarkers of disease and prognosis and may demonstrate a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer treatment.'