Human study · Exercise · 13 Jul 2026
Dark-chocolate aroma added about 18 fasted leg-extension reps in young men
Source: News-Medical
What the research found
Study (exploratory crossover RCT). Mohamed Nashrudin bin Naharudin and University of Malaya colleagues report in Frontiers in Physiology that 23 moderately trained men in their early-to-mid 20s, fasted ≥10 hours, completed more leg-extension repetitions after 30-second exposures to chocolate odor before and between sets than after a water control, without a higher rating of perceived exertion. 90% dark-chocolate odor added about 18 repetitions versus water and reduced hunger; 60% milk-chocolate odor added about nine repetitions without the same appetite shift. Small, men-only, fasted lab sessions — not a nutrition protocol and not a reason to eat chocolate for performance. Educational exercise notes.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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