How this nut changes breast cancer genes to help women survive

Genes are sensitive little buggers.

Stress, toxins, physical activity, your diet and other factors all affect gene expression (the process where the information encoded into your genes turns into something physical).

Take diet as an example.

What you eat directly influences the genes that cause inflammation and determine whether you get diseases like cardiovascular disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes sand even cancer.

Plus, if you do happen to get one of these serious diseases, what you eat while you’re treating the disease could influence your prognosis. Here’s an example…

Let’s say you’re diagnosed with breast cancer. Research shows that eating just two ounces of a certain nut daily alters your genes in a way that could help you survive…

Eating walnuts daily changes 456 genes in breast tumors

Research from Marshall University shows that eating walnuts daily changes gene expression in women with breast cancer.

In their clinical trial, researchers asked women with breast lumps large enough for pathology biopsies to eat two ounces of walnuts daily until they had surgery.

This was an average of two weeks. At the time of surgery, additional tissue samples were collected. And the results were astounding…

Simply eating two ounces of walnuts daily for two weeks significantly changed the expression of 456 genes in their tumors.

More importantly, the changes looked like good changes. It activated gene pathways tied to cell death and cell adhesion, while deactivating gene pathways tied to cell proliferation and migration… which in plain English means it helped kill cancer cells, prevent them from multiplying and keep them from spreading.

And this isn’t the first time walnuts have been found to fight breast cancer. Previous studies in mice showed that they can reduce the risk of breast cancer and slow breast cancer growth. So, what are you waiting for?

Start packing in those walnuts!

How to work in more walnuts

Two ounces of walnuts is about 28 English walnut halves. That’s quite a bit, so you may need to find creative ways to get your daily walnut fix.

My favorite way to eat walnuts is with yogurt and fruit. I also like adding them to my oatmeal. Other options include:

• Adding some to your salad
• Throwing a handful in your smoothie
• Putting some in a batch of muesli
• Adding them to your muffins
• Hiding some in your dips for an extra crunch
• Using them in a homemade pesto

Sources:

1. Epigenetics and lifestyle — Epigenomics
2. Feed your genes: How our genes respond to the foods we eat — Science Daily
3. Scientists tie walnuts to gene expressions related to breast cancer — MedicalXpress
4. Dietary walnut altered gene expressions related to tumor growth, survival, and metastasis in breast Cancer patients: A pilot clinical trial — Nutrition Research
5. Nutrition: Nuts & Heart Health — Cleveland Clinic