Abstract
Dietary flavanols have been associated with reduced oxidative stress, however their efficacy in promoting recovery after exercise induced muscle damage is unclear. This study examined the effectiveness of acute consumption of cocoa-flavanols on indices of muscle recovery including: subsequent exercise performance, creatine kinase, muscle tenderness, force, and self-perceived muscle soreness. Eight endurance-trained athletes (VO2max 64.4 ± 7.6 mL/kg/min) completed a downhill running protocol to induce muscle soreness, and 48-h later completed a 5-K (kilometer) time trial. Muscle recovery measurements were taken at PRE, 24 h-POST, 48 h-POST, and POST-5K. Participants consumed 1.0 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight of a randomly assigned beverage (CHOC: 0 mg flavanols vs. CocoaCHOC: 350 mg flavanols per serving) immediately after the downhill run and again 2 h later. The same protocol was repeated three weeks later with the other beverage. An ANOVA revealed no significant difference (p = 0.97) between trials for 5 K completion time (CHOC 1198.3 ± 160.6 s, CocoaCHOC 1195.5 ± 148.8 s). No significant difference was found for creatine kinase (CK) levels (p = 0.31), or muscle soreness (p = 0.21) between groups over time. These findings suggest that the acute addition of cocoa flavanols to low-fat chocolate milk offer no additional recovery benefits.
Highlights
Exercise results in an increased production of free radicals, leading to cell damage and oxidative stress [1,2]
This study examined the effects of CHOC vs. CocoaCHOC on indices of muscle damage including perceived soreness (VAS and lower extremity functional scale (LEFS)), creatine kinase (CK), and muscle tenderness
Future research should explore whether a dose response exists, or if employing a loading phase with cocoa flavanols prior to inducing muscle damage is effective in improving muscle recovery. These findings suggest that the addition of cocoa-flavanols to a post exercise recovery beverage offers no additional benefits when compared to consuming chocolate milk as a recovery aid
Summary
Exercise results in an increased production of free radicals, leading to cell damage and oxidative stress [1,2]. It is hypothesized that an improvement in blood circulation may allow for a better delivery of nutrients and oxygen to working muscles as well as a more efficient removal of waste products that are generated by the working muscles [2,9,10]. It is unknown whether the ingestion of cocoa flavanols (350 mg immediately, and 350 mg again 2-h post exercise) may enhance recovery
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
