Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review

Objective: Chocolate, renowned for its abundance of bioactive flavonoid compounds, is recognized as a delectable food option with purported benefits for both athletes and general population. Nevertheless, there is no consolidated overview detailing the effects of chocolate consumption specifically a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M. M. Khaleghi, F. Ahmadi, M. Hofmeister
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National Electronic Information Consortium (NEICON) 2025-03-01
Series:Спортивная медицина: наука и практика
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.smjournal.ru/jour/article/view/645
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849422486519676928
author M. M. Khaleghi
F. Ahmadi
M. Hofmeister
author_facet M. M. Khaleghi
F. Ahmadi
M. Hofmeister
author_sort M. M. Khaleghi
collection DOAJ
description Objective: Chocolate, renowned for its abundance of bioactive flavonoid compounds, is recognized as a delectable food option with purported benefits for both athletes and general population. Nevertheless, there is no consolidated overview detailing the effects of chocolate consumption specifically among football players. This review aims to elucidate the diverse impacts of chocolate consumption on football players.Methods: A systematic search adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines studies that met the inclusion criteria was conducted in the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science to April 01, 2024. Forthy-eight articles were retrieved, of which nine studies met the inclusion criteria.Results: The findings of these studies indicate that chocolate consumption is associated with a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde, urate, platelet count, mean platelet volume, and platelet distribution width. It was found to reduce intestinal permeability as well as muscle damage biomarkers such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, chocolate consumption was associated with an increase in vitamin E/cholesterol ratio, antioxidant power, mean daily exercise time, heart rate, time to fatigue, physical performance, and improvement in redox status.Conclusion: Despite the limited number of studies in this area, small sample sizes, and the presence of limitations in each study, chocolate consumption has demonstrated the potential to enhance athletic performance and recovery in football players. However, further research is essential to fully understand the scope of these effects.
format Article
id doaj-art-680bbfd7f3c6438c9916f656bef99bdf
institution Kabale University
issn 2223-2524
2587-9014
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher National Electronic Information Consortium (NEICON)
record_format Article
series Спортивная медицина: наука и практика
spelling doaj-art-680bbfd7f3c6438c9916f656bef99bdf2025-08-20T03:31:02ZengNational Electronic Information Consortium (NEICON)Спортивная медицина: наука и практика2223-25242587-90142025-03-01143263410.47529/2223-2524.2024.3.2388Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic reviewM. M. Khaleghi0F. Ahmadi1M. Hofmeister2Persian Gulf UniversityPersian Gulf UniversityConsumer Centre of the German Federal State of BavariaObjective: Chocolate, renowned for its abundance of bioactive flavonoid compounds, is recognized as a delectable food option with purported benefits for both athletes and general population. Nevertheless, there is no consolidated overview detailing the effects of chocolate consumption specifically among football players. This review aims to elucidate the diverse impacts of chocolate consumption on football players.Methods: A systematic search adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines studies that met the inclusion criteria was conducted in the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science to April 01, 2024. Forthy-eight articles were retrieved, of which nine studies met the inclusion criteria.Results: The findings of these studies indicate that chocolate consumption is associated with a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde, urate, platelet count, mean platelet volume, and platelet distribution width. It was found to reduce intestinal permeability as well as muscle damage biomarkers such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, chocolate consumption was associated with an increase in vitamin E/cholesterol ratio, antioxidant power, mean daily exercise time, heart rate, time to fatigue, physical performance, and improvement in redox status.Conclusion: Despite the limited number of studies in this area, small sample sizes, and the presence of limitations in each study, chocolate consumption has demonstrated the potential to enhance athletic performance and recovery in football players. However, further research is essential to fully understand the scope of these effects.https://www.smjournal.ru/jour/article/view/645chocolatecocoacocoa powderfootballsoccer
spellingShingle M. M. Khaleghi
F. Ahmadi
M. Hofmeister
Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
Спортивная медицина: наука и практика
chocolate
cocoa
cocoa powder
football
soccer
title Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
title_full Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
title_fullStr Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
title_short Effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players: A systematic review
title_sort effects of chocolate consumption on the health and performance of football players a systematic review
topic chocolate
cocoa
cocoa powder
football
soccer
url https://www.smjournal.ru/jour/article/view/645
work_keys_str_mv AT mmkhaleghi effectsofchocolateconsumptiononthehealthandperformanceoffootballplayersasystematicreview
AT fahmadi effectsofchocolateconsumptiononthehealthandperformanceoffootballplayersasystematicreview
AT mhofmeister effectsofchocolateconsumptiononthehealthandperformanceoffootballplayersasystematicreview