ArticleSports medicine - open2025
The Cardiovascular Benefits of Dark Chocolate Supplementation before High-Intensity Resistance Exercise in the Early Follicular and Mid-Luteal Phases of the Menstrual Cycle.
Article in Sports medicine - open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06908941 (The Cardiovascular Benefits of Dark Chocolate Supplementation Before High-intensity Resistance Exercise in the Early Follicular and Mid-luteal Phases of the Menstrual Cycle), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The Cardiovascular Benefits of Dark Chocolate Supplementation Before High-intensity Resistance Exercise in the Early Follicular and Mid-luteal Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundDark chocolate, rich in flavanols, may support vascular health by reducing arterial stiffness and blood pressure across menstrual phases. This study examined the effects of 85% dark chocolate on nitric oxide (NO) levels and vascular function during high-intensity resistance exercise in healthy women across the early follicular and mid-luteal phases.
methodsThirty-one healthy women (aged 20-30 years) with regular menstrual cycles completed a randomized, crossover study (conducted at National Chung Cheng University, Sep-Dec 2023). Participants consumed either 85% dark chocolate or milk chocolate (1 g/kg body weight) before high-intensity resistance exercise during the early follicular (days 2-5) and mid-luteal (days 18-24) phases of two menstrual cycles. Finger-toe pulse wave velocity (ftPWV), arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and plasma NO levels were measured at rest, 2 h after chocolate consumption (baseline), immediately post-exercise (T0), and at 60 (T60) and 120 (T120) minutes post-exercise.
resultsDark chocolate supplementation significantly increased NO levels and reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP), ftPWV, and arterial pressure volume index (API) (p < 0.05) compared to milk chocolate across both menstrual phases. During the early follicular phase, dark chocolate also attenuated exercise-induced increases in arterial stiffness and blood pressure (p < 0.05).
conclusion85% dark chocolate supplementation may reduce the negative vascular effects of high-intensity resistance exercise, particularly by lowering blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and API, especially in the early follicular phase. These findings suggest that dark chocolate could be a practical, non-pharmacological intervention for improving cardiovascular health in women.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06908941. Registered 19 March 2025 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06908941 .
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