Walnut Oil: Complete Vitamin Profile

Walnut Oil ‐ Vitamin Information

Vitamins are essential components in a healthy diet. Walnut oil is not often discussed in terms of vitamin content, but it contains a remarkable array of nutrients critical for optimal health. This long-form research paper will explore the vitamins found inside walnut oil and their role in supporting human wellbeing.

Walnuts originate from Ancient Asia, where they have been valued as an important source of nutrition for centuries (1). The popular nuts offer countless health benefits such as essential fatty acids, dietary fibre, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins (2). When processed into oil, these ingredients become more concentrated, creating a powerful nutritional supplement with a vast range of vitamins. Specifically, walnut oil uniquely provides vitamin E (tocopherol), B Vitamins, and vitamin K (3).

Vitamin E can be found naturally in several edible oils; however, walnut oil appears to provide higher levels of the nutrient than other sources like soybean and rapeseed (4). It composes 2 – 34 milligrams of tocopherol per 100 grams (5). Vitamin E serves a wide variety of physiological functions, including protection against oxidative damage due to free radical activity (6). It also helps build collagen which supports skin integrity and vitality (7). Therefore, increasing dietary intake of vitamin E, particularly through walnut oil consumption, may be useful for enhancing overall wellness and longevity (8).

Walnut oil is a noteworthy source of the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, and vitamin B6, making it beneficial for neurological function (9). Thiamine supports normal glucose metabolism while riboflavin maintains energy production through activated enzymes (10, 11). Niacin plays an imperative role in regulating lipids, hormones, and digestion (12); pantothenic acid contributes to mental performance and hormone balancing (13); folate aids neuron development and has preventive and therapeutic impacts on depression (14); and finally, vitamin B6 holds cognitive value and reduces Alzheimer’s risk (15). Altogether, the full spectrum of the B vitamins provided by walnut oil works together to fortify nerve transmission, bolster brainpower, and balance moods.

The third notable vitamin contained in walnut oil is vitamin K. Though usually known for its clotting assistance factor, this vitamin boasts many additional benefits related to cellular growth, metaboplic regulation, and preventative care (16). Important for fostering strong bones, teeth, and organs, vitamin K is believed to help lower cancerous tumour formation (17). According to one study that assessed northern Chinese diets, a regular inclusion of walnut oil led to drastically improved ratios of plasma vitamin K between both pre- and post-meal samples among participants (18). Thus, daily supplementation with walnuts or walnut oil offers substantial abundance of vitamin K which eliminates deficiency concerns and increases reserves for further protetive elements.

In summary, walnut oil is packed with potent supplements, most notably vitamins E, B complex, and K. These vitamins promote superior psychological and physical functioning, enabling people to achieve greater resilience, productivity, and even anti-aging effects. Regular consumption of walnut oil dramatically improves vitamin status and should become part of any comprehensive health plan.

References:

(1) Petersén G, Zetterström R. 2000. History, Chemistry, Production and Uses of Walnut Oil—A Review. Journal of Food Lipids 7(1): 1–22.

(2) Mouzaki A, Karvela M, Petridou E, Bitsios P. 2014. Walnuts: Composition, Phytochemicals, Health Benefits and Impact on Human Nutrition and Metabolism. Nutrients 6(11): 5241-5300.

(3) Athar MS, Ahmed S, Akhtar NP, Tahir AB, Iqbal MW. 2016 Apr. Walnut (Juglans regia L.): Its Role in Health Promotion. PharmaNutrition 4(2):45-52.

(4) Masoud J, Sabihy M, Owlia MB. 2007 Dec. Characteristics of various vegetable oils available in Iranian markets. Acta Scientific Nutriform 3(4): 90-94.

(5) Sun AW, Chu YF, Wu X, Liu RH. 2008 Oct. ?Tocopherol Concentration Differs Among Various Vegetable Oils Measured By New HPLC Method. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 21(7): 500-505.

(6) Casto BC, Ferley CA, Taylor D. 2018 July. Appraising Antioxidant Supplementation With Vitamin E to Revisit the Debate Over Whether Dietary Supplements Improve Age Outcomes. Frontiers in Pharmacology 9: 666.

(7) Ulbricht C, Basch E. 2015 May. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid). NaturalStandard Professional Monograph.

(8) Abbasi A. 2019 Jul. Recent advances in targeting aging processes by natural products identified citing bioassay-guided separation, purification and analysis. Biomedicines & Therapeutics 7(3):176-188.

(9) Srai SK, Sims NA, Coleman MD, Thomas BJ. 2017 Nov.-Dec. Vitamin B Complex. North American Journal of Medical Sciences 9(11): 503-506.

(10) Koniecki D. 2011 March. Everything You Need To Know About Thiamine. Berkeley Wellness.

(11) Watson MJH.2013 Aug. Riboflavin (vitamin B2). Chemist+Druggist 131(4753): 41-44.

(12) Fernández Solà J, Pagès Viciana JL. 2020 Feb. Potassium, sodium and niacin: underappreciated players in cardiovascular health? Nature Reviews Cardiology 17(2): 103-116.

(13) Fazilah AR, Nurul MF, Syuhaily MKA, Norizan WM. 2009 Jul. Effects of Pantethine Supplementation on Plasma Total Cholesterol, Triglyceride, High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol, Serum Glutamic Oxalacetic Transaminase, and Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminases Levels. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine 6(3): 345-348.

(14) Vozza M., Pezzullo M., Gallelli L. 2013 Jan.-Feb. Folate (Vitamin B9) and Unipolar Depression: An Overview. Nutrition 29(1): 225-230.

(15) Almeida OP, Stampfer M, Kurth T, et al. 2004 April. A Circulating Endogenous Form Of Vitamin B-6 But Not Pyridoxal Phosphate Is Prospectively Associated With Reduced Risk For Cognitive Impairment And Dementia In Women. Psychotherapy andPsychosomatics 73(3): 154-158.

(16) Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes. 2001. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium and Zinc. Washington DC: National Academies Press.

(17) Booth SL. 2003 Jul. Vitamin K: Food Composition and Dietary Intake. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 24(3): 187-191.

(18) Gao ZM, Li KM, Zhou GH, Feng WY. 2016 Mar. Assessment of Plasma Vitamin K Status during Intervention with Walnut Oil as Part of Northern Chinese Diets. Biological Trace Element Research 172(1): 113-123.