A new study found that eating almonds reduced muscle soreness and improved muscle performance during a vertical jump challenge.
These results expand on prior research which looked at how almonds affect muscle recovery after exercise. In the new research study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition and funded by the Almond Board of California, 25 mildly overweight middle-aged men and women performed a 30-minute downhill treadmill run test after eight weeks of consuming whole raw almonds daily. The control group ate snacks.
Researchers measured participants’ muscle function; blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation; and perceived muscle soreness, participants who ate almonds experienced an almost 25 percent reduction in muscle soreness when performing an explosive power exercise.
“Our study suggests that snacking on almonds can be recommended to occasional exercisers as a go-to food to help fitness recovery after strenuous exercise,” said Dr. Oliver C. Witard, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Metabolism and Nutrition at Kings College London.