Walnuts can keep dementia at bay, says study

Eating walnuts everyday can help ward off dementia, say scientists.

In the study, Dr Abha Chauhan and his team from the New York State Institute found that mice deprived of walnuts suffered a dramatic loss in learning, memory and physical and emotional control.

"Walnuts may have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk, delaying the onset or slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease," the Daily Express quoted Chauhan as saying.

According to the results, vitamin E and flavanoids in walnuts helped destroy harmful free radical chemicals that cause dementia.

The results represent a breakthrough in the study of how the brain decays.