ALMONDS ARE THE MOST NUTRITIOUS SNACK FOR PEOPLE WHO EXERCISE; RESEARCH

A new study found that people who consumed almonds daily for one month “reported feeling less fatigue and tension, better leg-back strength, and decreased muscle damage after exercise.”

According to a randomized controlled trial published in Frontiers in Nutrition, male and female participants who consumed 57g of almonds every day for a month had higher blood levels of the healthy fat 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (12,13-DiHOME) after a session of vigorous exercise than the control group.

This molecule, called oxylipin (oxidized fat), is made by brown fat tissue from linoleic acid. It has a positive effect on metabolic health and the way energy is used.

The findings of the new study show “that volunteers who consumed 57g of almonds daily for one month before a single ‘weekend warrior’ exercise bout had more beneficial 12,13-DiHOME in their blood immediately after exercising than control volunteers,” says corresponding author Dr. David C. Nieman.

In comparison to control volunteers, they also claimed to have less fatigue and stress, improved leg-back strength, and less muscular injury.

38 men and 26 women between 30 and 65 who didn’t regularly lift weights participated in the clinical trial. About half were put into the almond diet group, and the other half were put into the control group, which ate a cereal bar with the same number of calories every day.

Before and after the supplementation period of four weeks, the researchers collected blood and urine samples.

A 50-meter shuttle run test, a 30-second Wingate anaerobic test, a vertical leap, a bench press, and leg-back strength exercises were all used as performance indicators.

The participants completed the “Profile of Mood States” (POMS) questionnaire to score their mental state after each blood draw and rated their delayed onset muscular soreness on a 10-interval scale, which refers to the discomfort and stiffness experienced after unaccustomed or strenuous activity.

the exercise session lasting ninety minutes led to an increase in the volunteers’ self-reported feelings of muscle damage and muscle soreness. It also led to an increase in the volunteers’ POMS score, which indicated an increase in the volunteers’ self-reported feelings of fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

soon after exercise, the plasma from almond group participants had 69% more beneficial 12,13-DiHOME than control group participants.

Nieman and his colleagues came to the conclusion that eating almonds every day changes your metabolism, which reduces inflammation and oxidative stress from exercise and helps your body recover faster.

Nieman concludes: “almonds provide a unique and complex nutrient and polyphenol mixture that may support metabolic recovery from stressful levels of exercise.” He said “the brown skin of almonds contains polyphenols that end up in the large intestine and help control inflammation and oxidative stress.”

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