Almonds May Boost Brain Power, Prevents Sluggish Feeling After Lunch

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Eating almonds after lunch helps people become attentive and overcome a sleepy spell in the afternoon, a new study found. The scientists even believe that this kind of tree nut will lift brainpower.

The Almond Board of California funded the latest study, which experts hinted that it should be practiced with caution. The organization also exhibits cultivators of the nuts in the United States, which supplies 80 percent of the worldwide market of almonds. Furthermore, it funded a research in 2014 that discovered the nuts as a help for a healthy heart and weight loss.

The cognitive function will be affected after the body processed foods wherein blood sugar levels are known to go lower than normal. However, the new study, conducted at Purdue University, presented that the almonds could control blood glucose by decelerating digestion. This might be due to the high amount of good fats and fiber found in that nut.

"This research is not fully independent and there may well be limitations to the results. That needs to be acknowledged. But there's no doubt at all that nuts like almonds are a helpful addition in managing blood sugar levels and improving overall health," Celia Cooper, a Nutritional therapist of Cheshire's Reproductive Health Group said in a statement.

The study involved 86 overweight adults, and they were randomly recommended to a weight loss diet for 12 weeks. The first half of the participant was given an almond-enriched diet, and the second group consumed completely nut-free foods. Both groups were told to restrict calorie intake.

The participants underwent memory and attention tests after eating their lunch. The two groups experienced the same declines in attention and memory following lunch, as per the study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

However, those who consumed a diet with almonds showed considerably lesser declines in memory than the group who ate nut-free foods. The researchers then suggest that eating almonds may be effective in maintaining memory after lunch.