Short-term Cocoa Supplementation and Elite Soccer Players

NCT06073327 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: Padova_Soccer
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 38
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief 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.

Conditions

Dyslipidemias; Fatty Acid; Metabolic Disorder

Keywords

fatty acid; soccer; dark chocolate

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Plasmatic level of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (AA:EPA) ratio

  Investigate the impact of daily ingestion of 30g of dark chocolate on omega-3 fatty acid status in professional soccer players

  1 month

• Main compositional changes in gut microbiota

  Investigate the impact of daily ingestion of 30g of dark chocolate gut microbial community in professional soccer players

  1 month

Study Arms (2)

Dark Chocolate

EXPERIMENTAL

Dark chocolate group was provided with 30g of dark chocolate (high in flavanol) for 30 days

Dietary Supplement: dark chocolate

White Chocolate

SHAM COMPARATOR

White chocolate group was provided with30g of white chocolate (0 mg/g of polyphenol) for 30 days

Dietary Supplement: White chocolate

Interventions

dark chocolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

30g of dark or white chocolate was provided by the nutritionist for 30 days

Dark Chocolate

White chocolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

30g of white chocolate was provided by the nutritionist for 30 days

White Chocolate

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 38 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Elite football players playing in Serie A teams

You may not qualify if:

• Any disease or serious medical condition
• Probiotic use
• Special diet such as vegan or vegetarian or high-fiber
• Use of specific medications such as: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and statins taken in the last week

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Padova: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Padova

Padua, 35131, Italy

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dyslipidemias; Metabolic Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Lipid Metabolism Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Study Officials

• Antonio Paoli, MD

  University of Padova

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 1, 2023
• First Posted: October 10, 2023
• Study Start: May 3, 2023
• Primary Completion: May 3, 2023
• Study Completion: May 3, 2023
• Last Updated: October 10, 2023

Record last verified: 2022-05

Locations

IT (1)