Chocolate is delicious. Amen.

While it is high in calories and sugar, dark chocolate in particular also contains a number of beneficial compounds that may have positive effects on exercise performance.

One of the primary compounds found in chocolate is cocoa. Cocoa is rich in a group of compounds called flavanols, which have been shown to have a number of potential health benefits. Flavanols can:

• Improve blood flow, which in turn improves cardiovascular function
• They are rich in antioxidants, which help to reduce inflammation after exercise
• They can also help improve insulin sensitivity and cognitive function

Several studies have investigated the effects of chocolate consumption on exercise performance. One study in particular, published in 2015 in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that consuming dark chocolate for 14 days improved cyclists' performance in a time trial.

Let’s take a closer look…

A group of 9, “moderately trained” cyclists were put through their paces in the lab. Their baseline VO2 max was measured before completing a 20 min ride at 80% of their gas exchange threshold, followed by a 2-minute all-out time trial.

In a crossover design, they then consumed 40g of either flavanol-rich dark chocolate or flavanol deficient white chocolate for 2 weeks before repeating the exercise testing again.

After a 7 day washout period, cyclists crossed over and repeated 14 days of the chocolate supplementation (white or dark) and repeated the testing again.

What did they find?

Tune in to find out!

Reference:

Patel, R. K., Brouner, J. & Spendiff, O. 2015. Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity cycling. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 1-8.

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Dietitian Approved acknowledges the Traditional custodians of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, The Turrbal and Jagera peoples. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.