The Effects of Almond Consumption on Functional Performance and Activity in Overweight Active Older Adults

The overall objective of this proposed randomized, crossover study is to determine the effect of 12 weeks of almond consumption, ingested as a snack twice daily, on energy expenditure, performance and functional related outcomes, in active, overweight, older adults, in comparison to 12 weeks of an isocaloric matched control snack. The central hypothesis of this study is, due to the nutritionally beneficial composition of almonds, that daily consumption of an almond snack for 12 weeks will contribute to improvements in energy expenditure, physical and functional performance, vascular function, inflammation/oxidative stress, sleep quality, mood status, and body composition in active, overweight and obese older adults compared to an isocaloric commercially available snack.