Influence of high dose cocoa-flavanol intake on factors affecting exercise performance and recovery
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN14438374 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14438374 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | CFEX |
- Submission date
- 21/11/2016
- Registration date
- 28/04/2017
- Last edited
- 28/04/2017
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Cocoa flavanols (CF) are a supplement made from cocoa beans. They have several beneficial health effects and can stimulate blood flow to provide the body with sufficient oxygen and nutrients when exercising. After exercise, the body needs to recover. The aim of this study is to find out whether taking this CF supplement can help to improve exercise performance and help recovery from exercise.
Who can participate?
Well-trained male cyclists aged 20 to 35
What does the study involve?
Participants undergo a cycling test on the first occasion. On two separate occasions, participants undergo two 30-min all-out cycling exercises (time trials), 1.5 and 3 hours after taking either CF or a placebo (dummy supplement), with a rest in between. Blood samples are taken at the start of the study and before and after each time trial and tested for several markers.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The possible benefits include improved performance and recovery from exercise. The study does not involve any risks, as the participants are used to heavy exercise and perform cycling training at least 10 hours per week.
Where is the study run from?
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2015 to July 2015
Who is funding the study?
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
Who is the main contact?
Lieselot Decroix
Contact information
Scientific
Department of Human Physiology, VUB
Pleinlaan 2
Brussel
1050
Belgium
Study information
| Study design | Randomized double-blind interventional placebo-controlled cross-over single-centre study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised cross over trial |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Effect of acute cocoa flavanols intake on exercise-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and nitric oxide production in healthy athletes: a randomized controlled trial |
| Study objectives | It is hypothesized that cocoa flavanol (CF) intake: 1. Will have little or no effect on indirect markers of NO production and exercise performance in healthy, well-trained, subjects 2. Will decrease exercise-induced oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to an improved recovery |
| Ethics approval(s) | Medical ethics committee UZ Brussel-VUB, 28/01/2015, ref: B.U.N. 143201523265 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Exercise performance and recovery |
| Intervention | Participants perform an incremental cycling test on the first occasion. On two separate occasions, subjects perform two 30-min time trials on an indoor cycle-ergometer, interposed by passive rest, 1.5 and 3 hours after drinking a single dose of either: 1. Chocolate drink with high cocoa flavanol content (900 mg flavanols) (brandname: acticoa) 2. Placebo chocolate drink (13 mg flavanols) The drinks are matched in caffeine, theobromine, calories, carbohydrates, fat and proteins. Lactate, glucose, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and power output were measured during the time trials. Blood will be drawn at baseline and before and after each time trial and analyzed for several markers. |
| Intervention type | Supplement |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Epicatechin serum concentration 2. Trolox equivalent antioxidative capacity (TEAC) 3. Uric acid (UA) plasma concentration 4. Malonaldehyde (MDA) plasma concentration 5. L-arginine/ADMA plasma concentration 6. Citrulline plasma concentration 7. Interleukin (IL)-1 plasma concentration 8. IL-6 plasma concentration 9. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α plasma concentration Measured at baseline and before and after each time trial (pre-TT1, post-TT1, pre-TT1, post-TT1) by HPLC, ELISA and spectrophotometry of plasma and serum (blood) |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Time trial performance; time to complete a certain predefined workload during time trial 1 (90-120 min after cocoa intake) and during time trial 2 (210-240 min after cocoa intake) 2. Physiological parameters during time trial: 2.1. Lactate concentration, glucose concentration and rate of perceived exertion at start, after 10 min, after 20 min and at the end of each time trial 2.2. Heart rate and power output at start, after 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 mintues and at the end of each time trial |
| Overall study start date | 01/03/2015 |
| Completion date | 01/07/2015 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Male |
| Target number of participants | 15 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Age: between 20 years and 35 years 2. No severe head injuries in the past 3. No intake of neurological or psychological medication 4. Healthy 5. No hypertension 6. No cardiovascular disease 7. Cycling training of at least 10 hours per week for the last 2 years |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Age: younger than 20 years or older than 35 years 2. Severe head injuries in the past 3. Intake of neurological or psychological medication which might alter cognitive function (psychotropic drugs, beta adrenergic blockers, steroids) 4. Hypertension 5. Cardiovascular disease 6. Other diseases which can alter cognitive function (diabetes, depression) |
| Date of first enrolment | 15/03/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/05/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Belgium
Study participating centre
Belgium
Sponsor information
University/education
Pleinlaan 2
Brussels
1050
Belgium
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/006e5kg04 |
|---|
Funders
Funder type
University/education
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/12/2016 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The data will be presented in a peer-reviewed journal. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be available upon request from Lieselot Decroix. |
