• Just a Handful of Walnuts 3x Weekly Boosts Attention and Brain Growth in Adolescents, Especially Those With ADHD

    Posted onBy in category Positive News

    A handful of walnuts three times a week is enough to boost attention and brain growth in secondary school kids, according to a new study of students in Spain.

    The nuts contain a type of omega-3 oil that is particularly beneficial to growing brains.

    Scientists who studied 700 kids aged 11-16 found the cognitive development and psychological maturation increased in those that ate the nuts regularly.

    Students from 12 different schools in Barcelona were randomly divided into two groups. A control group, which received no intervention of any kind and the experimental group, which received packages containing 30 grams of walnut kernels that they were told to consume every day for a period of six months.

    The research team from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, found the benefits even in those who only ate them 100 times in the 182 days.

    Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 that plays a fundamental role in brain development—especially at this life stage when kids’ bodies are changing a lot as they grow.

    “Adolescence is a time of great biological changes,” said Principal investigator Dr. Jordi Julvez from the IISPV.

    “Neurons that are well nourished with this type of fatty acids will be able to grow and form new, stronger synapses.”

    They also found an increase in functions relating to fluid intelligence, which is less influenced by learning. It is inherent to the person’s biology.

    “We assessed (fluid intelligence) with increasingly complex tests, such as having adolescents figure out what pattern a row of letters followed,” explained Dr. Julvez.

    While there have been previous studies on the effect of nuts on our health, the impact of their consumption at such a critical stage for cognitive development as adolescence has never been examined.

    Ariadna Pinar, a doctoral student from IISPV and first author of the study published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, said their findings demonstrate that following a healthy diet is as important as maintaining these habits over time.

    “Adolescence is a period of great brain development and complex behaviors that requires a significant amount of energy and nutrients.

    “If boys and girls would heed these recommendations and actually eat a handful of walnuts a day, or at least three times a week, they would notice many substantial improvements in cognitive abilities and it would help them face the challenges of adolescence and entering adulthood.”

  • Dave Grohl cooks barbecue for 500 at Los Angeles homeless shelter

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    Published by By Joe Goggins; Rolling Stone

    The Foo Fighters frontman fired up an enormous meat smoker.

    Dave Grohl helped feed 500 people when he stopped by a Los Angeles homeless shelter.

    SEE THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

    The Foo Fighters frontman reportedly spent 16 hours at Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission last week, rocking up at around midnight on Wednesday (February 22) with an overnight bag and an enormous meat smoker in tow.

    Per TMZ, Grohl helped to rustle up ribs, pork, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw and beans, handling the expenses himself. 14 hours were spent cooking, with the meat left to rest for a further two. Photos obtained by the site showed the rocker taking a hands-on role in all aspects of the preparation; he reportedly slept in the parking lot whilst the meat was being smoked.The shelter’s CEO, Rowan Vansleve, meanwhile, took to Instagram to share a clip of himself and Grohl, who claimed to be “all in” on his work for the Mission. “What’s up, you guys?” he said as he congratulated volunteers for the charity on a 350-mile run they were completing for the charity. “Fifteen miles today, congratulations, tomorrow’s another beautiful day, keep it up. We’re out here all night cooking, so come back soon so we can feed you.” The Mission works to end homelessness between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

    Grohl’s visit came just days before his adopted hometown was battered by freak storms that left the Hollywood Hills covered in snow earlier this week. Meanwhile, Foo Fighters announced details yesterday (February 28) of their first headlining concerts since the death last March of drummer Taylor Hawkins. In additional to a slew of previously announced festival appearances in the US, Germany, Japan and Brazil, the band will play three standalone gigs in their homeland in May and June, in New Hampshire, Arkansas and Alabama.

    They had previously confirmed their intention to continue without Hawkins in a statement issued on New Year’s Eve 2022. “Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward,” they said. “We know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”

     

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