New Study: Dark Chocolate Boosts Speed & Reduces Fatigue Ep. 1266 NOV 2025

📰 Summary
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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Dark chocolate, anaerobic performance, RAST, running anaerobic sprint test, flavonoids, epicatechin, theobromine, cocoa, white chocolate control, exercise performance, sports nutrition, ergogenic aid, fatigue index, power output, heart rate, RPE, rate of perceived exertion, healthy adults, sprint timing, muscle fatigue, vasodilation, nitric oxide, athletic performance, supplementation, Nutrients journal