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Dick H. J. Thijssen
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7707-5567
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Background: Cocoa flavanols (CF) may exert health benefits through their potent vasodilatory effects which are perpetuated by elevations in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. These vasodilatory effects may contribute to improved delivery of blood and oxygen to exercising muscle.
Objective: Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine how CF supplementation impacts pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O2) kinetics and exercise tolerance in sedentary middle-aged adults.
Methods: We employed a double-blind cross-over, placebo-controlled design whereby 17 participants (11 male, 6 female; mean±SD, 45±6 years) randomly received either 7 days of daily CF (400 mg) or placebo (PL) supplementation. On day 7, participants completed a series of ‘step’ moderate- and severe-intensity exercise tests for the determination of oxygen uptake kinetics.
Results: During moderate-intensity exercise, the time constant of the fundamental phase of V̇O2 kinetics (τV̇O2) was decreased by 15% in CF as compared to PL (mean±SD; PL: 40±12 vs. CF: 34±9 s, P=0.019), with no differences in the amplitude of V̇O2 (AV̇O2; PL: 0.77±0.32 vs. CF: 0.79±0.34 l min−1, P=0.263). However, during severe-intensity exercise, τV̇O2,the amplitude of the slow component (SCV̇O2) and exercise tolerance (PL: 435±58 vs. CF: 424±47 s, P=0.480) were unchanged between conditions.
Conclusions: Our data show that acute CF supplementation enhanced oxygen uptake kinetics during moderate-, but not severe-intensity exercise in middle-aged participants. These novel effects of CFs, in this demographic, may contribute to improved tolerance of moderate-activity physical activities, which appear commonly present in daily life.
Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT04370353
Keywords
Cocoa flavanols, oxygen uptake kinetics, heart rate, exercise tolerance, middle-age
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This is a preprint, a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Research
Dick H. J. Thijssen
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7707-5567
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
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History
CURRENT STATUS: Posted
Version 1
Posted 16 Jun, 2020
No community comments so far
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Nutrition & Dietetics
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: Cocoa flavanols (CF) may exert health benefits through their potent vasodilatory effects which are perpetuated by elevations in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. These vasodilatory effects may contribute to improved delivery of blood and oxygen to exercising muscle.
Objective: Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine how CF supplementation impacts pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O2) kinetics and exercise tolerance in sedentary middle-aged adults.
Methods: We employed a double-blind cross-over, placebo-controlled design whereby 17 participants (11 male, 6 female; mean±SD, 45±6 years) randomly received either 7 days of daily CF (400 mg) or placebo (PL) supplementation. On day 7, participants completed a series of ‘step’ moderate- and severe-intensity exercise tests for the determination of oxygen uptake kinetics.
Results: During moderate-intensity exercise, the time constant of the fundamental phase of V̇O2 kinetics (τV̇O2) was decreased by 15% in CF as compared to PL (mean±SD; PL: 40±12 vs. CF: 34±9 s, P=0.019), with no differences in the amplitude of V̇O2 (AV̇O2; PL: 0.77±0.32 vs. CF: 0.79±0.34 l min−1, P=0.263). However, during severe-intensity exercise, τV̇O2,the amplitude of the slow component (SCV̇O2) and exercise tolerance (PL: 435±58 vs. CF: 424±47 s, P=0.480) were unchanged between conditions.
Conclusions: Our data show that acute CF supplementation enhanced oxygen uptake kinetics during moderate-, but not severe-intensity exercise in middle-aged participants. These novel effects of CFs, in this demographic, may contribute to improved tolerance of moderate-activity physical activities, which appear commonly present in daily life.
Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT04370353
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
The full text of this article is available to read as a PDF.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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