February 10, 2025, 9:46 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Many nutrition-conscious people are probably aware that eating almonds is good for their health. Athletes, in particular, benefit from the high protein content. According to a recent study, almonds cannot only help build muscle but do even more.
Almonds have been praised as a superfood for years. This is no wonder because they have a particularly good composition of nutrients. They are particularly rich in vitamins E and B3, as well as the minerals magnesium and potassium. At around 53 percent, they have a high fat content, but this is mainly healthy unsaturated fatty acids, which lower cholesterol levels. In terms of calorie intake, they should still be eaten in moderation. Then they also have benefits for the muscles: Due to their high protein content of around 24 percent, almonds supply muscles with important amino acids. An ideal snack for exercisers. In two studies, researchers discovered another benefit for athletes: eating almonds is said to prevent muscle soreness.
Overview
Almond Study from the Year 2024
Researchers at San Diego State University conducted a study using a randomized crossover design (design to compare different methods or strategies)..1 Subjects were 26 healthy, slightly overweight adults with an average age of 37 years. The aim was to investigate the effects of almond consumption on exercisers. Specifically, they wanted to analyze pain, muscle strength, and biochemical markers of muscle damage and inflammation after eccentric training. The subjects ran downhill for 30 minutes (-10 percent incline) at a heart rate of 65 to 70 percent of their maximum oxygen uptake. The study compared the effects of almonds (57 grams per day) with those of an iso-caloric snack (e.g., pretzels). Participants consumed the assigned foods immediately after exercise and daily during a three-day recovery period..2
Blood samples, muscle tests, and pain ratings were collected before exercise and during the 72-hour recovery period to analyze differences between the two test conditions.
Almonds Appear to Promote Recovery
The results show that almonds can positively influence recovery after eccentric training. Creatine kinase (CK), a marker of muscle damage, increased in both groups within 24 hours of exercise. However, the decrease was significantly greater in the almond group after 72 hours (50 percent of the maximum value compared to only 33 percent in the control group). The consumption of almonds could, therefore, possibly prevent muscle soreness or at least shorten the duration of muscle soreness or reduce its intensity.
Muscle strength also showed better values in the almond group: the maximum torque during flexion (bending an arm, for example) was twelve percent higher after 24 hours and nine percent higher after 72 hours than in the control group. The intensity of pain during maximum muscle contractions was 37 percent lower in the almond group after 24 hours and 33 percent lower after 48 hours.
Interestingly, there were no significant differences in other parameters such as vertical jump force, concentrations of c-reactive protein (inflammatory marker), myoglobin (a muscle damage marker), or total antioxidant capacity in the blood.
Limitations of the Study
However, the study also has some limitations. It was conducted on a small group of slightly overweight, healthy adults, which could limit the applicability of the results to other population groups, such as professional athletes or older people. It also remained unclear whether long-term consumption of almonds offers similar benefits.
A Study in 2023 Already Provided Similar Findings
In 2023, researchers at Appalachian State University found similar results. Their randomized clinical trial also found that daily consumption of almonds can help improve recovery and prevent muscle soreness..3 The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrients. Critically, it should be noted that the study was funded by the Almond Board of California (an organization representing the interests of the almond industry). However, according to the scientists, this had no effect on the study design, data collection, and results.
The scientists from Appalachian State University in the US state of North Carolina examined a total of 69 test subjects (38 men, 26 women) aged between 30 and 65 over a period of four weeks. All participants in the study were healthy and not overweight, although they did not exercise regularly. It could, therefore, be assumed that they would experience muscle soreness after their first training sessions – like most people who exercise for the first time.
The participants were randomly divided into two groups: One group ate a cereal bar every day for four weeks, while the other group ate 57 grams of almonds per day instead. Otherwise, the participants were not allowed to take any protein supplements, vitamin and mineral supplements, or anti-inflammatory medication during the study period, which lasted several weeks. These could have falsified the research results.
90-Minute Workout Caused Muscle Soreness
After four weeks of daily almond consumption, all study participants had to complete a 90-minute workout. This consisted of 17 different exercises. Blood and urine samples were taken from the untrained test subjects several times before and after the intensive workout. The participants were also asked to assess their physical condition in the four days following the strenuous workout.
Almonds Seem to Protect Against Muscle Soreness
Unsurprisingly, the training led to an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood of the non-athletic participants in both groups. This manifested itself in the form of muscle soreness. However, the almond group showed a significantly higher level of the so-called “12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid” (12, 13-DiHOME) compared to the muesli bar group. The result: the almond eaters had less muscle damage and better strength levels after the training. They also reported a better mood.
The nutrients that we consume by eating almonds, therefore, have positive and, above all, anti-inflammatory effects, as the researchers summarize in the study. These penetrated into the colon of the study participants and protected against oxidative stress in the blood and cells. This ensured that study participants who consumed around 60 grams of almonds a day showed fewer signs of fatigue and muscle pain after the hard training. In addition, their muscles were more efficient than those of the comparison group, even in the recovery phase the following day. Therefore, the researchers concluded that almonds not only provide athletes with healthy fats and plenty of protein but also aid in recovery after a strenuous workout and thus help prevent muscle soreness.
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Conclusion
Since the second study was also conducted with a small group of test subjects and examined only for a short period of time, the applicability of the findings to other population groups and the long-term effects of almond consumption on muscle and recovery remain uncertain.
However, the findings of both studies provide interesting indications on which further studies could be based.