Effective recovery has become the primary focus for an athlete as it majorly influences their next day performance. Packed with antioxidants, minerals, and other bioactive compounds, dark chocolate offers several benefits that can aid in the recovery process after an intense physical activity. Intense exercise can result in the build up of free radicals and oxidative stress. The presence of flavonoids, especially epicatechins, act as a powerful antioxidant that helps relieve oxidative stress thereby potentially reducing post exercise inflammation and muscle damage. Dark chocolate is also high in magnesium, a mineral essential for muscle function and recovery. It plays an important role in muscle contraction and relaxation which contribute to quicker recovery and delayed fatigue, eventually improving performance. Flavonoids, especially those found in cocoa, have shown to increase blood flow by improving nitric oxide levels in the body. Nitric oxide acts as a vasodilator resulting in widening of blood vessels. Enhanced blood circulation aids in oxygen and nutrient delivery to the muscles, which accelerates the recovery process after an intense exercise. This can simply be achieved by consuming 1 to 2 squares of dark chocolate. It is important to consider the percentage of cocoa as higher the cocoa content more the flavonoids and less added sugar, therefore opt for dark chocolate with higher cocoa content of 70% or more to maximize recovery.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6280237/
- https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2018/june/dark-chocolate-muscle-recovery/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8364049/
- https://my.klarity.health/benefits-of-dark-chocolate-after-exercise/
- https://www.sportsperformancebulletin.com/nutrition/nutrition-for-endurance-athletes/dark-chocolate-good-news-for-athletes-and-chocaholics