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Siegel L, Rooney J, Marjoram L, Mason L, Bowles E, van Keulen TV, Helander C, Rayo V, Hong MY, Liu C, Hooshmand S, Kern M, Witard OC. Chronic almond nut snacking alleviates perceived muscle soreness following downhill running but does not improve indices of cardiometabolic health in mildly overweight, middle-aged, adults. Front Nutr 2024; 10:1298868. [PMID: 38260074 PMCID: PMC10800814 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1298868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction As a popular food snack rich in protein, fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and phytonutrients, almond nut consumption is widely associated with improvements in cardiometabolic health. However, limited data exists regarding the role of almond consumption in improving exercise recovery. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the impact of chronic almond snacking on muscle damage and cardiometabolic health outcomes during acute eccentric exercise recovery in mildly overweight, middle-aged, adults. Methods Using a randomized cross-over design, 25 mildly overweight (BMI: 25.8 ± 3.6 kg/m2), middle-aged (35.1 ± 4.7 y) males (n = 11) and females (n = 14) performed a 30-min downhill treadmill run after 8-weeks of consuming either 57 g/day of whole almonds (ALMOND) or an isocaloric amount (86 g/day) of unsalted pretzels (CONTROL). Muscle soreness (visual analogue scale), muscle function (vertical jump and maximal isokinetic torque) and blood markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase (CK) concentration) and inflammation (c-reactive protein concentration) were measured pre and post (24, 48, and 72 h) exercise. Blood biomarkers of cardiometabolic health (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol), body composition and psycho-social assessments of mood (POMS-2 inventory), appetite and well-being were measured pre and post intervention. Results Downhill running successfully elicited muscle damage, as evidenced by a significant increase in plasma CK concentration, increased perception of muscle soreness, and impaired vertical jump performance (all p < 0.05) during acute recovery. No effect of trial order was observed for any outcome measurement. However, expressed as AUC over the cumulative 72 h recovery period, muscle soreness measured during a physical task (vertical jump) was reduced by ~24% in ALMOND vs. CONTROL (p < 0.05) and translated to an improved maintenance of vertical jump performance (p < 0.05). However, ALMOND did not ameliorate the CK response to exercise or isokinetic torque during leg extension and leg flexion (p > 0.05). No pre-post intervention changes in assessments of cardiometabolic health, body composition, mood state or appetite were observed in ALMOND or CONTROL (all p > 0.05). Conclusion Chronic almond supplementation alleviates task-specific perceived feelings of muscle soreness during acute recovery from muscle damaging exercise, resulting in the better maintenance of muscle functional capacity. These data suggest that almonds represent a functional food snack to improve exercise tolerance in mildly overweight, middle-aged adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Siegel
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Rooney
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lindsey Marjoram
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren Mason
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Bowles
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Valente van Keulen
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carina Helander
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vernon Rayo
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Mee Young Hong
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Changqi Liu
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Shirin Hooshmand
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Mark Kern
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Oliver C. Witard
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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