Walnuts Up Insulin Response, Cut Gut Permeability in Obesity

Walnut consumption modified the fecal microbiota and metabolome, improved insulin response and reduced gut permeability in adults with obesity, a small study showed.

“Less than 10% of adults are meeting their fiber needs each day, and walnuts are a source of dietary fiber, which helps nourish the gut microbiota,” study coauthor Hannah Hoscher, PhD, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Medscape Medical News .

Hoscher and her colleagues previously conducted a study on the effects of walnut consumption on the human intestinal microbiota “and found interesting results,” she said. Among 18 healthy men and women with a mean age of 53 years, “walnuts enriched intestinal microorganisms, including Roseburia that provide important gut-health promoting