Almonds May Reduce Muscle Soreness in Runners

Almonds May Reduce Muscle Soreness in Runners

When it comes to maximizing performance and recovery during endurance sports such as cycling or marathon running, most athletes and normies turn to carbs for fueling their bodies. However, one of the underestimated and often ignored by athletes and casual athletes is almonds.

In a randomized cross-over study involving 25 mildly overweight and middle-aged males and females, participants ate either 57 grams of almonds a day or an equal caloric amount of unsalted pretzels while performing a 30-minute downhill treadmill run for eight weeks. Scientists then measured muscle soreness, muscle function, muscle damage, and inflammation. Concurrently, scientists also measured blood biomarkers such as cholesterol, appetite, and overall well-being of the study participants.

The key finding of this study was that almonds reduced muscle soreness by 24% compared to pretzels. This resulted in better maintenance of muscle functional capacity which is beneficial towards maximizing endurance performance.

Almonds, a key ingredient in our Energy Pods and CocoZen can thus serve as a strong candidate in the daily lives of endurance athletes looking to reduce soreness and maximize performance during race days or training days alike.Though fast-digesting carbohydrates may offer performance benefits during the endurance event via glycogen replenishment, the overall performance and recovery of athletes extends beyond pure energy intake where functional foods such as almonds not only provide energy but help facilitate and optimize the usage of this energy.