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Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement?
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Hello All,

A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that dark chocolate may have a positive effect on athletic performance. Dark chocolate’s exercise benefits are likely the result of a substance called epicatechin – a type of flavonol found in the cacao bean that also increases nitric oxide production in the body.



The research team behind the study came up with its hypothesis after discovering that dark chocolate has characteristics similar to beet juice, which is now widely used by athletes

"Both dark chocolate and beetroot juice are known to increase nitric oxide, which is the major mechanism we believe is behind these results," said Rishikesh Kankesh Patel, who led the study. "We found that people could effectively exercise for longer after eating dark chocolate – something that's not been established before in this way."

The study was conducted with nine male cyclists. After undergoing initial fitness tests to establish a baseline for comparison, the participants were then split into two groups. The first group was asked to replace one of its normal daily snacks with 40 grams of a dark chocolate known to be rich in flavanols for two weeks, while the other participants substituted 40 grams of white chocolate for one of their daily snacks as a control.

The effects of the athletes' daily chocolate consumption were then measured in a series of cycling exercise tests. The cyclists' heart rates and oxygen consumption levels were measured during moderate exercise and in time trials. After a seven-day interval, the groups then switched chocolate types and the two-week trial and subsequent exercise tests were repeated.

The study found that after eating dark chocolate the riders used less oxygen when cycling at a moderate pace and also covered more distance in a two-minute flat-out time trial.


While we might be tempted to use this study to justify our next late-night chocolate binge, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the sample size of this study was small and more research still needs to be done. Second, the amount of flavanols contained in dark chocolate varies widely between different brands of bars. Lastly, chocolate bars still contain significant amounts of sugar and fat.

And it tastes good ....

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Here is the study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26674253

Excerpt:




That is a nice performance improvement .... maybe 12% ..... only a 2 minute time trial though ,,,,


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Another study showed contradictory findings:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24476473

Excerpt from this study contradicts previous article information I posted.

"The higher blood glucose concentrations during exercise and recovery after DC consumption coincided with high concentrations of epicatechin and (or) theobromine. In summary, DC consumption altered muscle carbohydrate partitioning, between muscle glucose uptake and glycogen oxidation, but did not effect cycling TT performance." [Emphasis added]

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Because of conflicting studies we may not be certain that dark chocolate actually improves cycling performance until dark chocolate appears on the https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list

Although even if not appearing on the WADA list yet ......... should a substance (like dark chocolate) or a procedure be prohibited by the athlete if knowing it is effective at improving performance?

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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nealhe wrote:
Although even if not appearing on the WADA list yet ......... should a substance (like dark chocolate) or a procedure be prohibited by the athlete if knowing it is effective at improving performance?

Training improves performance. Let's ban training. That would put everybody on an even playing field. Except maybe people who are genetically gifted. Hmm. Let's ban them too.

My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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When I'm training consistently I tend to develop an intense craving for dark chocolate. Milk chocolate not at all but the call of dark chocolate is strong. I have to avoid passing a supermarket on my way home or I know that I'll scoff down several hundred calories in a flash.
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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nealhe wrote:

Oh no...my secret performance enhancer is revealed.....

Serotonin makes Triathlete happy...
Happy Triathlete likes to train,
Triathlete who likes to train gets faster ;-)
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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windschatten wrote:
nealhe wrote:


Oh no...my secret performance enhancer is revealed.....

Serotonin makes Triathlete happy...
Happy Triathlete likes to train,
Triathlete who likes to train gets faster ;-)

I don't buy this study.

If dark chocolate was that much of a performance enhancer, I'd be riding in the TDF.
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [helo guy] [ In reply to ]
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helo guy wrote:
windschatten wrote:
nealhe wrote:


Oh no...my secret performance enhancer is revealed.....

Serotonin makes Triathlete happy...
Happy Triathlete likes to train,
Triathlete who likes to train gets faster ;-)


I don't buy this study.

If dark chocolate was that much of a performance enhancer, I'd be riding in the TDF.

Great!
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [carlosflanders] [ In reply to ]
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Hello carlosflanders and All,

I eat 2 or 3 squares (the little ones .. not the whole bar) of this one each day ..... ummmmm good!

Did not know it would make me faster (maybe) until I read that article.

I did know about anti-oxidants though ...

"Today, chocolate is lauded for its tremendous antioxidant potential. The higher the cocoa content, the more health benefits there are and the less sugar content, which is better for overall health. The potential benefits of eating chocolate may include: Lowering cholesterol levels.Jun 1, 2016 "



TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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I use this stuff. I mix a heaping tablespoon into about 8 oz of hot water in order to dissolve it, no milk, as there is some evidence that milk solids interfere. I buy 5lbs at a time, divide it up into smaller bags and refrigerate. It lasts for months.

https://wildernessfamilynaturals.com/...aw-certified-organic
Last edited by: DJFaithful: Aug 29, 17 21:55
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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just made some ultra-low sugar dark chocolate truffles. Not for everyone -- it's not the sweet, but the creamy buttery bitter that I like. Especially with a coffee . . .
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [kiki] [ In reply to ]
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From the paper.
Maximal oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min):
Before: 36.49 - 47.29
Dark chocolate: 38.09 - 50.95
White chocolate: 36.24 - 47.44

While the average for dark chocolate is a little higher, the ranges largely overlap, so there is a high probability that differences found are entirely due to chance, especially with such small sample sizes.
And this (that error bars pretty much completely overlap) is found in all their results and figures. Yet the researcher claim the differences are significant.
I don't find it surprising that other studies didn't find benefits from dark chocolate to athletes.

Had the results been something like this there would be some reason to believe there conclusions:
Before: 36.49 - 47.29
Dark chocolate: 46.09 - 50.95
White chocolate: 36.24 - 47.44

After a second look it's even more clear that the statistics are wonky.
Dark chocolate compared to before treatment: 44.52 vs 41.89 +/- 5.4 --> p-value 0.037 (ie. significant)
Dark chocolate compared to white chocolate: 44.52 vs 41.84 +/- 5.6 --> p-value 0.071 (ie. not significant)

How can two comparisons of pretty much the same numbers (and variation within those numbers: difference 0.05, and 0.2 difference in variation) lead to almost twice the difference in p-values?
Last edited by: TriStart: Aug 30, 17 4:36
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, Neal. Nice read.

But, who cares? It's CHOCOLATE! Eat it. Eat lots of it. Eat it instead of riding your bike. Wait a minute - that crossed the line. Sorry.
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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Compared to all the other supplements we ingest what's not to like about dark chocolate?

https://examine.com/...ments/cocoa-extract/
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [TriStart] [ In reply to ]
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Hello TriStart and All,

There is another factor that could confound the measured improvement from eating dark chocolate:

Performance improvement might be from caffeine rather than Nitric Oxide as proposed in the study ....

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22142020

Excerpt:

"A caffeine dose of 3 mg x kg(-1) body mass appears to improve cycling performance in well-trained and familiarised athletes. Doubling the dose to 6 mg x kg(-1) body mass does not confer any additional improvements in performance."

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/dark-chocolate-contain-caffeine-6016.html

Excerpts:

"Chocolate's scientific name, Theobroma cacao, comes from Greek, meaning "food of the gods." And judging by its popularity, it seems chocolate has lived up to its name. On average, Americans consume 12 pounds of chocolate per person per year. Dark chocolate contains a moderate amount of caffeine, with the exact amount based on the percentage of cocoa solids.


"Chocolate manufacturers sometimes label chocolate with the percentage that comes from the cocoa bean. However, it is impossible to determine the caffeine content based only on the percentage on the label. This is because cocoa butter -- which manufacturers use varying amounts of -- is usually included as part of this percentage.

For a 2-ounce, 70 percent dark chocolate bar with 10 percent cocoa butter, the amount of caffeine is 79 milligrams. As a comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 145 milligrams of caffeine. If you consumed all of that dark chocolate bar at one time, you would still be consuming less caffeine than 1 cup of coffee."

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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Prior to workout every morning for years i have a handful or raisins and about a square inch of 85% dark chocolate, no idea why it took this long for others to figure it out. Not sure if the dark chocolate actually is improving the workout but at least it puts you in a good mood and more excited about doing a workout. That plus coffee.
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [goregrind] [ In reply to ]
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A square inch? I eat half a chocolate bar a day. Half a bar is the serving size and has something like 4g of sugar.

Secret nutrition (or maybe not so secret) advice: eat like everyone else is supposed to eat: fruits and veggies. But then pad your calories with rice, with nuts and nut butters, and with dark chocolate.
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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...like I needed an excuse! Dark chocolate with sea salt has a permanent place in my special needs run bag. I break off little pieces and they slowly melt in my mouth during the run. The nice thing is that over 70 percent cacao won't melt in your sweaty gross hands during the run....the mental boost the chocolate provides is pretty awesome - it's way beyond anything a gel or a sports drink!
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Re: Dark Chocolate Performance Improvement? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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nealhe wrote:
Hello carlosflanders and All,

I eat 2 or 3 squares (the little ones .. not the whole bar) of this one each day ..... ummmmm good!

Did not know it would make me faster (maybe) until I read that article.

I did know about anti-oxidants though ...

"Today, chocolate is lauded for its tremendous antioxidant potential. The higher the cocoa content, the more health benefits there are and the less sugar content, which is better for overall health. The potential benefits of eating chocolate may include: Lowering cholesterol levels.Jun 1, 2016 "



TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"


I got one of those suckers (the Dark chocolate kind) for Xmas.
Best. Present. EVER.

ok, upon further review - that one was the prior year, this past year was THIS monstrosity of yumminess!!





float , hammer , and jog

Last edited by: Murphy'sLaw: Aug 30, 17 18:00
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