Short-term Cocoa Supplementation and Elite Soccer Players
Condition: Dyslipidemias; Fatty Acid; Metabolic Disorder
MeSH terms: Dyslipidemias; Metabolic Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this interventional study was to investigate the impact of daily ingestion of 30g
      of dark chocolate on omega-3 fatty acid status and gut microbial community in professional
      soccer players.

      The main questions it aims to answer are:

      Can 30g of dark chocolate positively influence the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acid
      (PUFAs) and, particularly, arachidonic acid (AA): eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio? Can 30g
      of dark chocolate change the microbial composition in professional soccer players? Elite male
      soccer players were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group was provided with 30g of dark
      chocolate 88% (2,5 mg/g of polyphenol) and one group, as control, was provided with with 30g
      of white chocolate (0 mg/g of polyphenol). Each group ingested the chocolate intervention as
      a "solid bar" in the morning (before 9:00 am) every day for 4 weeks. The dark chocolate and
      white chocolate were provided every morning to each subject by the nutritionist of each team,
      while, during off days, the chocolate was portioned into individual serving sizes and
      provided to each player. Adherence was checked by the nutritionist.

      For each assessment, the participants arrived at the training center in the morning, after an
      overnight fast. Before the beginning and the end of the study, a 3-days food record (3dr) was
      recorded (2 weekdays and 1 week-end day) by the nutritionist. Blood was collected between
      08:00 and 09:00 hours, fecal sample was delivered within the end of the morning, and
      anthropometry measures were determined.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study was conducted in May 2022. Elite male soccer players (n=38) were randomly divided
      into two groups. The dark chocolate group (DC N=19) was provided with 30g of dark chocolate
      88% (Novi Nero Nero 88% cacao, Elah Dufour S.p.A., Strada Serravalle 73, Novi Ligure) (2,5
      mg/g of polyphenol). The white chocolate group (WC n=19) was provided with 30g of white
      chocolate. (Bianco Novi, Elah Dufour S.p.A., Strada Serravalle 73, Novi Ligure) (0 mg/g of
      polyphenol). Each group ingested the chocolate intervention as a "solid bar" in the morning
      (before 9:00 am) every day for 4 weeks. The participants were instructed to refrain from
      consuming chocolate or flavanol-containing products (i.e., blueberry, strawberry, blackberry,
      green tea, red wine, and pomegranate juice), starting from 3 days before the beginning of the
      study and throughout the intervention period. The dark chocolate and white chocolate were
      provided every morning to each subject by the nutritionist of each team, while, during off
      days, the chocolate was portioned into individual serving sizes and provided to each player.
      Adherence was checked by the nutritionist.

      For each assessment, participants arrived at the training center in the morning, after an
      overnight fast. Before the beginning and the end of the study, a 3-days food record (3DR) was
      recorded (2 weekdays and 1 week-end day) by the nutritionist, blood was collected between
      08:00 and 09:00 hours, fecal sample was delivered within the end of the morning, and
      anthropometry measures were determined. Briefly, for stool samples, athletes were asked to
      collect their fecal material (single defecation) in a plastic vial and place the vial in a
      labelled box. The nutritionist and/or the doctor of each team immediately collected the fresh
      stool samples and delivered them within 72h to the research hub facility (University of
      Padova, Department of Biomedical Science).
    

Intervention name(s): dark chocolate; White chocolate
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): 30g of dark or white chocolate was provided by the nutritionist for 30 days; 30g of white chocolate was provided by the nutritionist for 30 days
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: fatty acid; soccer; dark chocolate