Walnut Consumption Reduces Perceived Stress and Improves Mood States in a Sample of Young Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial †
by
, ,
María Fernanda Zerón-Rugerio
1,2,*
,
Maria Izquierdo-Pulido
1,3,
Aradeisy Ibarra-Picón
1,3 and
Francisco José Pérez-Cano
1,4 1
Nutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (INSA-UB), Torribera Campus, University of Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 08921 Barcelona, Spain
2
Department of Fundamental and Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
3
Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences, and Gastronomy, Torribera Campus, University of Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 08921 Barcelona, Spain
4
Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091380
Published: 28 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:The relationship between psychological health and diet is bidirectional. As such, nutritional interventions can improve mood and wellbeing due to the complex interaction between nutrient intake and the gut–brain axis. Walnuts contain a number of potentially neuroactive compounds (e.g., tryptophan, serotonin, melatonin) that could have a potential effect on mood and wellbeing among the general population. Therefore, the present study sought to determine the effect of walnuts on perceived stress, mood states, and wellbeing. Methodology: A total of thirty young adults (aged 24.0 ± 4.2 years; 90% women) participated in an 18-week randomized crossover trial (NCT04799821). All the participants completed two randomized crossover protocols: intervention (daily consumption of 40 g of walnuts for 8 weeks) and control (refrain from walnuts or any other nuts for 8 weeks). After 2 weeks of washout, the two groups followed the intervention/control in reverse order. Baseline data were collected for perceived stress, mood states, and wellbeing. In addition, spot urine samples were collected at baseline for the determination of 5-hydroxy-3-indol acetic acid (urine serotonin metabolite). Data were collected once more at the end of the 8-week intervention and control periods. Results: After an 8-week intervention, daily walnut consumption significantly reduced perceived stress (p = 0.008) and improved certain mood states, such as anger–hostility and fatigue–inertia (p = 0.026 and p = 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, levels of serotonin’s metabolite were higher (p = 0.035) in the urinary samples of the intervention group, whilst no differences were shown between the baseline and control trials. Finally, daily walnut consumption did not affect wellbeing. Discussion: Our results show that daily walnut consumption has a significant impact on serotonin levels, and this could be associated with improved mood and stress states. However, more evidence is needed to explain the mechanisms underlying this association.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, M.F.Z.-R. and M.I.-P.; methodology, M.F.Z.-R., F.J.P.-C.; Data acquisition, M.F.Z.-R., A.I.-P. and M.I.-P.; data curation, M.F.Z.-R. and A.I.-P.; writing—original draft preparation, M.F.Z.-R.; writing—review and editing, M.I.-P.; project administration, M.I.-P.; funding acquisition, M.F.Z.-R. and M.I.-P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This project was financed by the California Walnut Commission (FBG600269). However, the California Walnut Commission had no role in the design of the study, nor in the analysis or interpretation of the data. INSA was recognized by a Maria de Maetzu unit of excellence grant (CEX2021-001234-M) funded by MICIN/AEI/FEDER, UE.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Barcelona (IRB00003099).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
Data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zerón-Rugerio, M.F.; Izquierdo-Pulido, M.; Ibarra-Picón, A.; Pérez-Cano, F.J. Walnut Consumption Reduces Perceived Stress and Improves Mood States in a Sample of Young Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial. Proceedings 2023, 91, 380. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091380
AMA Style
Zerón-Rugerio MF, Izquierdo-Pulido M, Ibarra-Picón A, Pérez-Cano FJ. Walnut Consumption Reduces Perceived Stress and Improves Mood States in a Sample of Young Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):380. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091380
Chicago/Turabian StyleZerón-Rugerio, María Fernanda, Maria Izquierdo-Pulido, Aradeisy Ibarra-Picón, and Francisco José Pérez-Cano. 2023. "Walnut Consumption Reduces Perceived Stress and Improves Mood States in a Sample of Young Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 380. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091380
