Trial reportJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2015
Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate intensity cycling.
Trial report in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Response of VOPhysiological reports · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of food sources of nitrate, polyphenols, L-arginine and L-citrulline on endurance exercise performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Cocoa-flavanols enhance moderate-intensity pulmonaryEuropean journal of applied physiology · 2021Trial
- Trial
- The influence of different concentrations of flavanol chocolate bars under acute supplement conditions on exercise and performance.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Acute cocoa Flavanols intake has minimal effects on exercise-induced oxidative stress and nitric oxide production in healthy cyclists: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2017Trial
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: effects of dietary antioxidants on exercise and sports performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- The Effect of Dark Chocolate Consumption on Arterial Function in Endurance Male Runners: Prospective Cohort Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effect of a cajuína hydroelectrolytic drink on the physical performance and hydration status of recreational runners.Current research in physiology · 2024Article
- The Use of Some Polyphenols in the Modulation of Muscle Damage and Inflammation Induced by Physical Exercise: A Review.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Flavanol-Rich Cocoa Supplementation Inhibits Mitochondrial Biogenesis Triggered by Exercise.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Effects of Functional Phenolics Dietary Supplementation on Athletes' Performance and Recovery: A Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- The Combined Effects of 6 Weeks of Jump Rope Interval Exercise and Dark Chocolate Consumption on Antioxidant Markers in Obese Adolescent Boys.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- The effects of cocoa flavanols on indices of muscle recovery and exercise performance: a narrative review.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2021Review
- Regulation of CytochromeCells · 2021Review
- Dietary restrictions in endurance runners to mitigate exercise-induced gastrointestinal symptoms.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2020Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDark chocolate (DC) is abundant in flavanols which have been reported to increase the bioavailability and bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO). Increasing NO bioavailability has often demonstrated reduced oxygen cost and performance enhancement during submaximal exercise.
methodsNine moderately-trained male participants volunteered to undertake baseline (BL) measurements that comprised a cycle V̇O(2max) test followed by cycling at 80% of their established gas exchange threshold (GET) for 20-min and then immediately followed by a two-minute time-trial (TT). Using a randomised crossover design participants performed two further trials, two weeks apart, with either 40 g of DC or white chocolate (WC) being consumed daily. Oxygen consumption, RER, heart rate and blood lactate (BLa) were measured during each trial.
resultsDC consumption increased GET and TT performance compared to both BL and WC (P < 0.05). DC consumption increased V̇O(2max) by 6% compared to BL (P < 0.05), but did not reach statistical significance compared to WC. There were no differences in the moderate-intensity cycling for V̇O₂, RER, BLa and heart rate between conditions, although, V̇O₂ and RER exhibited consistently lower trends following DC consumption compared to BL and WC, these did not reach statistical significance.
conclusionChronic supplementation with DC resulted in a higher GET and enhanced TT performance. Consequently, ingestion of DC reduced the oxygen cost of moderate intensity exercise and may be an effective ergogenic aid for short-duration moderate intensity exercise.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.