Walnuts 'can help hold back cancer'

Scientists have evidence that eating modest quantities of the nuts on a regular basis can hold back tumours.

Prostate cancer growth was reduced by 30 per cent in laboratory mice fed the human equivalent of two handfuls of walnuts every day for two months.

Tumours in mice given the nut diet were half as big as those of animals not fed on walnuts.

The US researchers believe the findings are directly relevant to humans.

Study leader Paul Davis, from the University of California at Davis, said: "Walnuts should be part of a prostate-healthy diet.

"They should be part of a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables."

Around 35,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and 10,000 die from the condition.

Although susceptibility may be partly inherited, experts believe the disease is strongly linked to environmental factors such as diet.

Walnuts are packed with health-giving substances including omega-3 fatty acids, an inflammation-fighting form of vitamin E, polyphenol plant compounds and antioxidants.

Scientists recently showed that walnuts can help combat heart disease by reducing levels of endothelin, a chemical that increases inflammation in blood vessels. They also reduced levels of "bad" cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein in the blood.

It has also been reported that an extract from walnuts acts as a natural "Viagra" remedy for erectile dysfunction.

The team led by Dr Davis studied male mice genetically engineered to develop prostate cancer. Walnut-fed mice developed cancers about 50 per cent smaller than those of the "control" mice.

The researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.