Effects of Dark Chocolate on Physiological and Anaerobic Performance Among Healthy Female and Male Adults

Background/Objectives: To investigate the effects of dark chocolate milk on physiological variables such as heart rate (HR), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), fatigue index and power output during an anaerobic sprint test. Methods: Twenty healthy participants underwent a randomised single-blinded experimental design and completed two trials-DC and iso-caloric white chocolate (WC) (used as a flavonoid-free control). Participants completed a running anaerobic sprint test (RAST, 35 m × 6 sprints × 2 sets, 4 min rest) with RPE and HR recorded after 2nd, 4th and 6th sprints. Results: Descriptive statistics of participants were for males: age: 23.8 ± 1.21 yrs; height: 174.51 ± 5.78 cm; weight: 73.91 ± 9.18 kg; body mass index (BMI): 24.18 ± 2.21 kg·m^-2; body fat percent (BF%): 19.18 ± 6.17%; lean muscle mass percentage: 77.95 ± 6.16%; females: age: 26.33 ± 4.95 yrs; height: 160.69 ± 5.52 cm; weight: 55.72 ± 7.03 kg; BMI: 21.51 ± 2.02 kg·m^-2; BF%: 27.24 ± 3.74%; lean muscle mass percentage: 69.20 ± 3.70%. A paired t-test revealed significant differences between trials for 2nd RAST average timings (DC 2nd RAST: 6.43 ± 0.97 s vs. WC 2nd RAST: 6.62 ± 1.05 s, p = 0.012); 2nd RAST total effort time (DC 2nd RAST: 38.58 ± 5.82 s vs. WC 2nd RAST: 39.72 ± 6.28 s, p = 0.012). Conclusions: Results indicated that DC supplementation significantly improved anaerobic sprint timings. Athletes, sports practitioners and coaches may consider implementing DC prior to training workouts and competitions to enhance sporting performance.