Cocoa does not appear to reduce exercise-related digestive distress


Date:
March 2, 2022
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Impressive athleticism was on display during the Winter Olympics,
but being at the top of one's game doesn't necessarily protect
against digestive distress resulting from exercise. Surprisingly,
some people are adding cocoa to their diets to reduce these
symptoms. Now, researchers report that long-term daily consumption
of cocoa doesn't appear to improve exercise-related digestive
issues in male athletes and induces only minimal changes to their
gut microbiomes.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Impressive athleticism was on display during the Winter Olympics,
but being at the top of one's game doesn't necessarily protect against digestive distress resulting from exercise. Surprisingly, some people are adding cocoa to their diets to reduce these symptoms. Now, researchers
in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report that long-term
daily consumption of cocoa doesn't appear to improve exercise-related
digestive issues in male athletes and induces only minimal changes to
their gut microbiomes.


========================================================================== Performing vigorous or intense exercise can cause digestive upset for
some people. The symptoms can include nausea, heartburn, abdominal cramps
and diarrhea. In the worst cases, symptoms are so bad that athletes
stop what they're doing and drop out of competitions. Previous studies
have suggested that long-term cocoa consumption could alleviate these
issues because of the tasty substance's high level of flavonoids. These compounds can enhance antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and
have been shown to have prebiotic effects on beneficial gut microbes in
animal studies. However, chronic consumption of cocoa powder by humans to reduce exercise-related digestive problems hasn't been investigated in
a standardized way. So, Franc,ois Fenaille, Mar Larrosa, and colleagues
wanted to develop a highly controlled but also realistic human trial to
assess whether cocoa could help.

Using the gold standard format for human trials, the researchers
conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 54 physically fit male athletes who followed a strict training routine over 10 weeks. During
that time, participants supplemented their regular diets with either flavonoid-rich cocoa or a placebo starch powder mixed into semi-skim
milk, which they drank daily at breakfast. At the beginning and the
end of the training period, the athletes underwent a high-endurance
running test. The participants' gastrointestinal symptoms did not change
in either supplementation group, indicating the cocoa did not improve exercise-induced digestive complaints. Finally, the researchers found
only slight effects on the composition of the gut microbiome and plasma
and fecal metabolites. Although the athletes' diets, which included a
high amount of fruits and vegetables, could have masked a small effect
of the cocoa, the researchers conclude that cocoa is not an effective
exercise supplement for suppressing gastrointestinal problems or changing
the overall gut microbiome of endurance athletes.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Spain); European Molecular Biology Organization; Ministry
of Education, Culture and Sports (Spain); and MetaboHUB infrastructure (France).

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always get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mariangela Tabone, Jose Angel Garci'a-Merino, Carlo Bressa, Nuria
Elizabeth Rocha Guzman, Karen Herrera Rocha, Emeline Chu Van,
Florence A.

Castelli, Franc,ois Fenaille, Mar Larrosa. Chronic Consumption
of Cocoa Rich in Procyanidins Has a Marginal Impact on Gut
Microbiota and on Serum and Fecal Metabolomes in Male Endurance
Athletes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2022; 70
(6): 1878 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07547 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220302110613.htm

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