A recent study published in Nutrients investigated the effects of dark chocolate (DC) on anaerobic sprint performance. The study involved twenty healthy participants who completed a randomized, single-blinded experiment.
Participants completed two trials: one after consuming DC milk and another after consuming an iso-caloric white chocolate (WC) milk, which served as a flavonoid-free control. In each trial, they performed a Running Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), which consisted of two sets of six 35-meter sprints.
The results showed that DC supplementation significantly improved performance in the second set of sprints:
- Faster Average Sprint Time: 6.43 s (DC) vs. 6.62 s (WC) (p=0.012).
- Faster Total Effort Time: 38.58 s (DC) vs. 39.72 s (WC) (p=0.012).
- Higher Mean Power: 354.09 W (DC) vs. 323.81 W (WC) (p=0.009).
Additionally, during the first set of sprints, participants had a significantly lower (better) fatigue index after consuming DC (30.71%) compared to WC (38.67%) (p=0.006).
⚠️ Disclaimers - This information is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical or nutritional advice.
- The study discussed was conducted on a small sample of 20 healthy adults. These findings may not apply to everyone, nor do they reflect long-term effects.
- Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet, supplementation, or training regimen.
📜 Citation
Balasekaran, G.; Ng, Y.C.; Foong, S.; Ong, X.R.R.; Boey, P. Effects of Dark Chocolate on Physiological and Anaerobic Performance Among Healthy Female and Male Adults. Nutrients 2025, 17, 3317. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213317
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