Can Walnuts Make You Smart?

The ancient doctrine of signatures believed that natural remedies resembled the body part they treated. Walnuts look like a brain. Could walnuts improve brain function? Chalk one up for the doctrine of signatures.

Several studies have shown that eating nuts benefits cognition. This new study tested walnuts as a brain food.

The 6 hour double-blind study looked at the acute effect of eating walnuts on cognition. The people in the study were all healthy, young adult students between the ages of 18 and 30. The dose of walnuts was 50g, which is about a handful.

Auditory verbal learning task scores demonstrated improved memory recall at 6 hours.

Measures of executive function that assessed multiple facets of attention found that walnuts improved reaction time and accuracy of recall.

This study suggests that eating walnuts can have a beneficial effect on executive function and memory and that it can boost cognition through the day. This is a safe, affordable, delicious strategy that can be employed by lots of people.

Food Funct. 2025;16:1696-1707.

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