Male fitness athlete holding a handful of almonds. Studio shot.
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If you’re a “weekend warrior” looking to feel and recover better after breaking a sweat during a big workout, eating more almonds could be key, according to new research.
A randomized controlled trial found that participants who exercised regularly and ate almonds every day for a month saw significant benefits from including the legume in their diets.
Specifically, volunteers who ate 57 grams of almonds each day had higher levels of a key molecule in their blood after a weekly 90-minute workout.
“Volunteers who consumed 57 g of almonds daily for one month prior to a ‘weekend warrior’ training match had more beneficial 12,13-DiHOME in their blood immediately after exercise than control volunteers,” explains the study’s co-author Dr. David S. Nieman, who also directs Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Laboratory. “They also reported feeling less fatigue and tension, better leg and back strength, and reduced muscle damage after exercise compared to control volunteers.”
12,13-DiHOME stands for the beneficial, oxidized fat 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid, which has benefits for metabolism and energy regulation.
Amounts of the molecule were 69% higher in those who ate almonds regularly. The substance is known to help repair routine damage to muscle tissue from exercise
However, the trial was relatively small, involving a total of just 38 men and 26 women, all between the ages of 30 and 65. Additionally, all study participants did not engage in regular weight training, so there are a number of potential caveats and limitations to these findings.
The study was published Monday in Frontiers in Nutrition.
The research team says that making a habit of chewing almonds can not only boost metabolism, but also reduce inflammation and help athletes recover faster.
“We conclude that almonds provide a unique and complex blend of nutrients and polyphenols that may support metabolic recovery after stressful levels of exercise,” Niemann explained. “Almonds have high amounts of protein, healthy fats, vitamin E, minerals and fiber. And the brown skin of almonds contains polyphenols that enter the colon and help control inflammation and oxidative stress.
No word yet on what benefit can be gained from simply ingesting some almond milk instead of whole nuts.
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