In the daily dietary conditioning of Parkinson’s patients, common walnuts, a common nut, are gradually showing unique health-preserving value. The seemingly ordinary walnut, with its rich nutritional content and natural active substances, can provide multi-dimensional protection and nourishment for nerve cells. Many Parkinson’s patients who insisted on consuming a few walnuts a day reported that their physical condition improved significantly after three months, with reduced limb stiffness and improved mental state, making this common nut a “natural aid” in the management of the condition.
Unsaturated fatty acids: the “protective barrier” of nerve cell membranes
Rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids, walnuts are an important component of nerve cell membranes and can be called the “protective barrier” of nerve cells. The core pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease is the degeneration of dopamine neurons, and the integrity of nerve cell membranes directly affects the function and survival of neurons. Unsaturated fatty acids maintain cell membrane fluidity and stability, ensure smooth nerve signal conduction, and reduce neurological abnormalities caused by cell membrane damage.
These fatty acids also penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain to directly nourish dopamine neurons, retarding their rate of degeneration. Research has shown that long-term intake of foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids reduces the risk of oxidative damage to nerve cells and reduces the frequency of symptoms such as tremor and stiffness.
Antioxidant Ingredients: Clears nerve damage “Free Radical Scavenger”
Walnuts are rich in antioxidant substances, including vitamin E, polyphenolic compounds, etc. These ingredients can, like “free radical scavengers”, remove free radicals from damaged nerve cells in the body. The progression of Parkinson’s disease is closely related to oxidative stress, where too many free radicals attack nerve cells, causing the function of dopamine neurons to decline, and the antioxidant components in walnuts neutralize free radicals and reduce the damage of oxidative stress to nerve cells.
Vitamin E acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant and can be embedded in nerve cell membranes to directly protect the cell membranes from oxidative damage; polyphenols have water-soluble antioxidant properties and can function in body fluids to form antioxidant “synergistic defense lines with vitamin E”. Insisting on daily consumption of walnuts allows antioxidant ingredients to continue to work. After three months, it can significantly reduce the level of oxidative stress in the body and improve the living environment of nerve cells. Patients will feel that the stiffness of the limbs is reduced and the heaviness during activity is significantly relieved.
Mineral combination: “natural modulators that regulate neurological function”
Walnuts are rich in a variety of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, and these elements are “natural regulators of neural function”. Magnesium participates in the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters and can improve the transmission efficiency of key transmitters such as dopamine, and dopamine deficiency is the core problem of Parkinson’s disease; zinc can enhance the metabolic function of nerve cells and promote damage Repair and regeneration of nerve tissue.
Potassium maintains the potential balance of nerve cell membranes, ensures normal conduction of nerve signals, and reduces muscle spasms caused by abnormal electrical discharges. These minerals act synergistically to regulate neurological function in all directions and improve the problems of abnormal muscle tone and limb tremor that are common in Parkinson’s patients. The daily intake of several walnuts supplemented with minerals, after three months the body’s neuromodulatory mechanisms are gradually optimized and the patient will find a reduction in the amplitude of limb tremors and a reduction in the duration of muscle stiffness.
Proteins & Amino Acids: Neurorepair “Building Materials”
The high-quality vegetable protein contained in walnuts can provide essential amino acids for nerve cell repair “building materials”. Amino acids produced by the breakdown of proteins, such as lysine, tryptophan, etc., are important raw materials for the synthesis of neurotransmitters and nerve repair factors. Parkinson’s patients have a relatively higher demand for amino acids due to the continuous degeneration of nerve cells, and the protein in walnuts can supplement these raw materials and promote self-repair and regeneration of nerve cells.
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Dr. Ashish Singh is not just a consultant orthopaedic surgeon but a visionary leader in the field. Serving as the Medical Director at Anup Institute of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation in Patna, Bihar, he holds an illustrious academic background with MBBS, MS Ortho, MCh.Orth. (UK), PG Diploma CAOS (UK), and SICOT Diploma Orth. (Sweden).
