Chocolate Chemical Stops Fitness Gains?
(–)-Epicatechin Supplementation Inhibits Aerobic Adaptations to Cycling Exercise in Humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
(–)-epicatechin blocked aerobic and mitochondrial adaptations despite being linked to improved fitness in animal studies.
Previous rodent research showed (–)-epicatechin boosted mitochondrial biogenesis and exercise performance, so it was expected to enhance human training—but instead, it appeared to blunt key improvements.
Practical Takeaways
Skip (–)-epicatechin supplements if your goal is to improve endurance or aerobic fitness through training.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
(–)-epicatechin blocked aerobic and mitochondrial adaptations despite being linked to improved fitness in animal studies.
Previous rodent research showed (–)-epicatechin boosted mitochondrial biogenesis and exercise performance, so it was expected to enhance human training—but instead, it appeared to blunt key improvements.
Practical Takeaways
Skip (–)-epicatechin supplements if your goal is to improve endurance or aerobic fitness through training.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2018
Authors
Neil A. Schwarz, Zachary J. Blahnik, Srihari Prahadeeswaran, Sarah K. McKinley-Barnard, S. Holden, Andy Waldhelm
Related Content
Claims (5)
Taking 200 mg of a compound called (–)-epicatechin every day for a month doesn’t help boost short-burst cycling performance more than a placebo in regular exercisers.
If you're a regular exerciser doing cycling, taking 200 mg of a compound called epicatechin every day might stop your muscles from building up a key energy-related protein that usually goes up with training—while people on a fake pill actually see an increase.
If you're a regular exerciser doing cycling, taking a supplement called (–)-epicatechin every day might actually stop you from getting fitter, while people taking a fake pill (placebo) do get fitter over 4 weeks.
Doing four weeks of regular cycling boosts your body's natural antioxidants, whether or not you take a 200 mg daily supplement called (–)-epicatechin. The exercise, not the pill, is what makes the difference.
Taking a supplement called epicatechin while doing four weeks of cycling doesn’t seem to change a muscle protein that controls growth — at least in regular gym-goers.