NEW DELHI: Eating a diet rich in walnuts may help protect against negative outcomes associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, a widespread bacterial infection that affects more than half of the world's population, a study conducted in mice suggests. H. pylori infection is a major cause of ulcers in the stomach and small intestine as well as stomach cancer and peptic ulcer disease. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, found that extracts from whole walnuts may help create protective proteins and anti-inflammatory actions in the gut that may safeguard against H. pylori infection and resulting cancer in mice.