In men in their early twenties, a dark-chocolate smell added about 18 leg-extension repetitions

What the research found

Study (exploratory). Xiaohan Fan, Mohamed Nashrudin bin Naharudin, and colleagues report in Frontiers in Physiology (doi 10.3389/fphys.2026.1834757; ScienceDaily 15 September 2026). Twenty-three healthy men in their early to mid-20s, already doing resistance exercise, came in after at least 10 hours without eating. Each man smelled one of three samples around a leg-extension session: 90% dark chocolate, 60% milk chocolate, or water. Dark chocolate tracked lower hunger and more fullness beforehand. Milk chocolate smelled more pleasant but did not change appetite ratings. The dark-chocolate smell lined up with about 18 extra repetitions versus water, and the milk-chocolate smell with about 9, without a higher effort rating. The authors read this as a psychobiological effect of a familiar aroma, not as a reason to eat chocolate for a workout. Small, fasted, and limited to young men. Educational notes on training, not a program.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at University of Malaya / Frontiers in Physiology