What are the effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) intake on exercise performance, recovery, and exercise-induced changes in vascular function, cognitive function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic parameters?
Cocoa Flavanol Extract, a randomized controlled trial (Sports Med 2018, PMID 29299877) — acute, sub-chronic (2 weeks), and chronic (3 months) CF intake reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress. Acute and sub-chronic CF intake did not show ergogenic effects in athletes, but chronic CF intake improved mitochondrial efficiency in untrained participants.
Source: Sports Med 2018, PMID 29299877 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: high
Sports Med · 2018 · PMID 29299877 · DOI 10.1007/s40279-017-0849-1
Cocoa flavanols may help with exercise-induced oxidative stress and metabolism, but don't seem to boost athletic performance directly.
The question
What are the effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) intake on exercise performance, recovery, and exercise-induced changes in vascular function, cognitive function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic parameters?
What they tested
It has been suggested that cocoa flavanol intake may improve exercise performance and recovery due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vascular function-improving capacities.
How they did it
A systematic review was conducted by searching two electronic databases (Pubmed and Web of Science) for human studies combining CF intake and exercise up to March 28, 2017. Studies were included if the exact amount of CFs was specified. The methodological quality and bias of the 13 included studies were assessed using the Dutch Cochrane center's checklist for randomized controlled trials.
What they found
Acute, sub-chronic (2 weeks), and chronic (3 months) CF intake reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress. Acute CF intake reduced and tempered exercise-induced blood pressure increases in obese participants. Acute and sub-chronic CF intake altered fat and carbohydrate metabolism during exercise. Acute and sub-chronic CF intake did not show ergogenic effects in athletes, but chronic CF intake improved mitochondrial efficiency in untrained participants. Combining sub-chronic CF intake and exercise training improved cardiovascular risk factors and vascular function.
What it means
Cocoa flavanol intake may improve vascular function, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress, and alter fat and carbohydrate utilization during exercise, but it does not appear to affect exercise performance. Evidence regarding CF's effects on exercise-induced inflammation, platelet activation, and synergistic effects with exercise training on oxidative stress, inflammation, and fat/glucose metabolism is limited.
Limitations
The review found scarce evidence on the effect of CF on exercise-induced inflammation and platelet activation. There was also a lack of evidence on the synergistic effects of CF and exercise training on oxidative stress, inflammation, and fat and glucose metabolism.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review |
|---|---|
| Journal | Sports Med |
| Year | 2018 |
| PMID | 29299877 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1007/s40279-017-0849-1 ↗ |
| Topic | Immunity, inflammation & resilience |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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Cocoa Flavanol Extract
In the large COSMOS randomized trial of older adults, daily cocoa extract did not significantly reduce the primary composite of total cardiovascular events, though cardiovascular death was 27% lower in secondary analyses and an ancillary analysis found the inflammatory marker hsCRP rose about 8% per year more slowly;
Cocoa flavanols are a class of bioactive polyphenols—chiefly the monomer (-)-epicatechin and its…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) intake on exercise performance, recovery, and exercise-induced changes in vascular function, cognitive function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic parameters? [Plain-English summary of Sports Med 2018, PMID 29299877, DOI 10.1007/s40279-017-0849-1]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d29299877.html@misc{magellan_d29299877,
title = {What are the effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) intake on exercise performance, recovery, and exercise-induced changes in vascular function, cognitive function, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic parameters?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d29299877.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 29299877; DOI 10.1007/s40279-017-0849-1; Sports Med 2018. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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