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Assessment of Gut Barrier Integrity in Mice Using Fluorescein-Isothiocyanate-Labeled Dextran

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Dark Chocolate Intake Positively Modulates Gut Permeability in Elite Football Athletes: A Randomized Controlled

Cristina Nocella¹, Elena Cavarretta^2,3, Chiara Fossati⁴

¹Department of Clinical, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiological and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.

|October 14, 2023

Summary

Elite athletes experience increased gut permeability due to intense exercise. Daily dark chocolate intake, rich in polyphenols, significantly reduced this exercise-induced intestinal permeability in football players.

Keywords:

exercise gut permeability polyphenols

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Area of Science:

Exercise Physiology
Gastroenterology
Nutritional Science

Background:

Intense exercise can compromise gut barrier integrity, increasing intestinal permeability.
This increased permeability allows harmful substances into circulation, exacerbated by oxidative stress and inflammation.
Elite athletes, particularly in sports like football, are susceptible to exercise-induced gut barrier dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify intestinal permeability in elite football players compared to amateur athletes.
To investigate the impact of daily dark chocolate consumption on exercise-induced gut permeability.
To explore the in vitro effects of cocoa polyphenols on intestinal cell damage.

Main Methods:

Assessed biomarkers of intestinal permeability (zonulin, occludin, LPS translocation) in elite and amateur athletes.
Conducted a 30-day randomized controlled trial with elite athletes consuming dark chocolate or a placebo.
Utilized the Caco-2 cell line to evaluate polyphenol effects on intestinal mucosa damage in vitro.

Main Results:

Elite football players exhibited significantly higher intestinal permeability markers than amateur athletes.
Thirty days of dark chocolate supplementation reduced intestinal permeability in elite athletes.
No changes in permeability were observed in the control group.
In vitro studies showed polyphenol extracts improved intestinal cell integrity.

Conclusions:

Elite football players demonstrate heightened intestinal permeability linked to intensive training.
Chronic dark chocolate supplementation, a source of polyphenols, effectively mitigates exercise-induced gut barrier dysfunction.
Cocoa polyphenols show promise in protecting intestinal mucosa from exercise-related damage.