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

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: 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. <b>Methods</b>: 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. <b>Results</b>: 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 <i>t</i>-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, <i>p</i> = 0.012); 2nd RAST total effort time (DC 2nd RAST: 38.58 ± 5.82 s vs. WC 2nd RAST: 39.72 ± 6.28 s, <i>p</i> = 0.012). <b>Conclusions</b>: 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.