Cocoa flavanols, exercise performance and recovery
What it found
Cocoa flavanols reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress and changed how the body used fat and carbohydrates during exercise, but did not improve exercise performance in athletes.
The evidence comes from 13 studies in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Oxidative stress
Acute, sub-chronic (2 weeks) and chronic (3 months) cocoa flavanol intake reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress.
Inflammation and platelets
Evidence on the effect of cocoa flavanols on exercise-induced inflammation and platelet activation was scarce.
Blood pressure in obese
Acute cocoa flavanol intake reduced and tempered the exercise-induced increase in blood pressure in obese participants.
Fat and carb use
Acute and sub-chronic cocoa flavanol intake altered fat and carbohydrate metabolism during exercise.
Performance in athletes
Acute and sub-chronic cocoa flavanol intake did not have ergogenic effects in athletes.
Mitochondrial efficiency
Chronic cocoa flavanol intake improved mitochondrial efficiency in untrained participants.
Heart risk and vessels
Combining sub-chronic cocoa flavanol intake and exercise training improved cardiovascular risk factors and vascular function. Evidence on synergistic effects on oxidative stress, inflammation, and fat and glucose metabolism was lacking.
What the authors conclude
“CF intake may improve vascular function, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress, and alter fat and carbohydrate utilization during exercise, but without affecting exercise performance.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that cocoa flavanol intake may improve vascular function, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress, and alter fat and carbohydrate utilization during exercise, but without affecting exercise performance.
- They advise that there is a strong need for future studies examining the synergetic effect of chronic cocoa flavanol intake and exercise training.
How it was done
Cocoa flavanols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities and can improve vascular function. It has recently been suggested that cocoa flavanol intake may improve exercise performance and recovery.
They searched two electronic databases for studies examining cocoa flavanol intake combined with exercise in humans, up to 28 March 2017. They included 13 studies that mentioned the exact amount of cocoa flavanols, and assessed their quality and bias.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The review looked at a small number of studies, so the evidence on some outcomes is limited.
- It cannot show whether cocoa flavanols cause these changes, only that they were linked in the studies included.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium; University of Minas Gerais, Brazil; University of Lille, France
The paper
- Title
- Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Decroix L, Soares DD, Meeusen R, Heyman E, Tonoli C (2018). Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0849-1PubMed 29299877DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error