Trial reportFood & function2016
Beneficial effects of dark chocolate on exercise capacity in sedentary subjects: underlying mechanisms. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial.
Trial report in Food & function, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 2 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
37 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 69 citations in OpenAlex.
- Response of VOPhysiological reports · 2025Pooled it
- Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Enhancement of Statin Effects on Lipid Lowering and Reduction of Cardiovascular Risk Score by (-)-Epicatechin in Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study.Clinical and translational science · 2025Trial
- Trial
- The influence of different concentrations of flavanol chocolate bars under acute supplement conditions on exercise and performance.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- High Flavonoid Cocoa Supplement Ameliorates Plasma Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Levels While Improving Mobility and Quality of Life in Older Subjects: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2019Trial
- 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
- Dark Chocolate Elevates Resting Energy Expenditure in Postmenopausal Women.International journal of exercise science · 2025Article
- Cinnamtannin A2, (-)-epicatechin tetramer, attenuates skeletal muscle wasting in disuse atrophy model mice induced by hindlimb suspension.Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition · 2023Article
- Rationale and design of an ancillary study evaluating the effects of the cocoa flavanol and/or multivitamin interventions on falls and physical performance outcomes in the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).Contemporary clinical trials · 2023Article
- Protective efficacy of dark chocolate in letrozole-induced ovary toxicity model rats: hormonal, biochemical, and histopathological investigation.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2022Article
- Flavanol-Rich Cocoa Supplementation Inhibits Mitochondrial Biogenesis Triggered by Exercise.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Disease-modifying treatment of Parkinson's disease by phytochemicals: targeting multiple pathogenic factors.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2022Review
- Effects of Functional Phenolics Dietary Supplementation on Athletes' Performance and Recovery: A Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- (-)-Epicatechin Alters Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species Production Independent of Mitochondrial Respiration in Human Vascular Endothelial Cells.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2022Article
- Restorative potential of (-)-epicatechin in a rat model of Gulf War illness muscle atrophy and fatigue.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- 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
- Dietary Cocoa Flavanols Enhance Mitochondrial Function in Skeletal Muscle and Modify Whole-Body Metabolism in Healthy Mice.Nutrients · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
In heart failure patients the consumption of (-)-epicatechin ((-)-Epi)-rich cocoa can restore skeletal muscle (SkM) mitochondrial structure and decrease biomarkers of oxidative stress. However, nothing is known about its effects on exercise capacity and underlying mechanisms in normal, sedentary subjects. Twenty normal, sedentary subjects (∼50 years old) were randomized to placebo or dark chocolate (DC) groups and consumed 20 g of the products for 3 months. Subjects underwent before and after treatment, bicycle ergometry to assess VO2 max and work, SkM biopsy to assess changes in mitochondrial density, function and oxidative stress and blood sampling to assess metabolic endpoints. Seventeen subjects completed the trial. In the DC group (n = 9), VO2 max increased (17% increase, p = 0.056) as well as maximum work (watts) achieved (p = 0.026) with no changes with placebo (n = 8). The DC group evidenced increases in HDL levels (p = 0.005) and decreased triglycerides (p = 0.07). With DC, SkM evidenced significant increases in protein levels for LKB1, AMPK and PGC1α and in their active forms (phosphorylated AMPK and LKB1) as well as in citrate synthase activity while no changes were observed in mitochondrial density. With DC, significant increases in SkM reduced glutathione levels and decreases in protein carbonylation were observed. Improvements in maximum work achieved and VO2 max may be due to DC activation of upstream control systems and enhancement of SkM mitochondria efficiency. Larger clinical studies are warranted to confirm these observations.
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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.