Effects of short-term pistachio consumption before and throughout recovery from an intense exercise bout on cardiometabolic markers

Although pistachios have been shown to improve cardiometabolic biomarkers in diseased and at-risk populations, less research has been conducted on young, healthy individuals. Furthermore, some but not all research indicates that exercise acutely improves cardiometabolic markers; however, it remains unclear as to why outcomes vary among studies. This research evaluated secondary aims of a study designed to assess the impacts of pistachios on recovery from vigorous eccentrically-biased exercise. Here we examined the short-term (two weeks) effects of two different doses (1.5 oz/d and 3.0 oz/d) of pistachios and a water-only control on the biomarkers of metabolic health in young adult men. This was followed by daily blood collection for three consecutive days after a 40-min downhill run. Twenty-seven participants completed each of three conditions in a counterbalanced randomized order. Plasma biomarkers (lipid profile, glucose, and insulin) were measured at the end of each 2-week feeding period immediately before the exercise bout and again 24, 48, and 72 h thereafter. Two weeks of pistachio consumption failed to elicit changes in any biomarker (p < .05).. Exercise reduced LDL-cholesterol at the end of the recovery period; however, positive effects were limited to when subjects were consuming the higher dose of pistachios. Follow up t-tests revealed significant reductions in LDL-C in the high dose group at 72-H compared to that at 0-H (8.2 ± 19.4; p < .04), 24-H (8.0 ± 18.6; p < .04), and 48-H (9.3 ± 15.8; p < .005) post exercise within the same trial. Overall, in healthy young men with normal blood lipid and glucose metabolism, little effect of either pistachios or intense exercise on cardiometabolic risk indicators was detected. More research is needed to determine the influence of usual diet consumption on outcomes following an acute exercise bout.