Thanks to funding from the California Walnut Board, researchers at the University of California, Davis and the USDA Western Regional Research Center have discovered that eating walnuts can be used to reduce and prevent tumors from ever forming — at least in mice. 
Mice that were fed walnut-rich diets had tumors half the size compared to mice that were not fed a walnut rich diet. Researchers feel that walnuts could be used to prevent tumors from ever forming. The unlucky subject mice in the experiment were genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer. UC Davis researchers assessed the size of their tumors at 9,18 and 24 weeks. Some mice were on the walnut diet, consuming the human equivalent of 2.4 ounces of walnut per day. The other subject group ate a soybean oil diet, which was formulated to match the walnut diet in terms of nutrients, fat levels, and fatty acid profiles. Amazingly, at 18 weeks, the tumors were half the size in the walnut group than the other group. Overall, the rate of tumor growth was 28 percent less for the walnut group. Walnuts are high in fat as well as omega-3 polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants. Previous research has suggested that a low fat diet is recommended for reducing the risk of and slowing the growth of prostate cancer. However, going on a low fat diet may exclude walnuts and their powerful tumor-fighting qualities. The UC Davis research was not able to pinpoint any single chemical within the walnut responsible for slowing tumors. However, they found significant correlations in their study. For example, the researchers learned that the walnut-fed mice had lower LDL cholesterol. They also noticed a difference with how the liver, a major source of cholesterol and insulin-like growth factor, metabolized the walnuts compared with the soybean oil diet. Clinical trials on humans have yet to be determined. If you enjoy eating nuts, dipping into a bowl full of walnuts not only tastes good, but also may end up preventing cancer.
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