Effect of Chocolate Consumption Prior to Prolonged Sitting on Cardiovascular Health in Adults

NCT07556627 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: E-25-10441
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 22
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled crossover trial investigates the acute effects of consuming dark, milk, and white chocolate before prolonged sitting on cardiovascular health in healthy adults. Each participant completes three separate study visits and receives all three chocolate conditions in a randomized order, with a 7-day washout period between visits. Blood pressure, heart rate, pulse wave velocity, blood glucose, appetite, pain, and calf circumference are measured before and during a 3-hour sitting perio

Conditions

Cardiovascular Health During Prolonged Sitting

Keywords

Dark Chocolate; Milk Chocolate; White Chocolate; Prolonged Sitting; Blood Pressure; Pulse Wave Velocity; Heart Rate Variability

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Blood Pressure (Systolic, Diastolic, Mean Arterial Pressure)

  Blood pressure will be measured using an automated sphygmomanometer under each chocolate condition (dark, milk, white).

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Pulse Wave Velocity

  Arterial stiffness will be assessed using estimated pulse wave velocity under each chocolate condition.

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Heart Rate Variability

  Autonomic cardiac function will be assessed using heart rate variability derived from RR interval recordings under each chocolate condition.

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Heart Rate

  Heart rate will be measured under each chocolate condition during the study visits.

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Capillary Blood Glucose

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Appetite Visual Analog Scale

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Pain Visual Analog Scale

  Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

• Calf Circumference

  Baseline and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting

Study Arms (3)

Label: Dark Chocolate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive dark chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.

Dietary Supplement: dark chocolate

Label: Milk Chocolate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive milk chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.

Dietary Supplement: Milk Chocolate

Label: White Chocolate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive white chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.

Dietary Supplement: White Chocolate

Interventions

dark chocolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants consume dark chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.

Label: Dark Chocolate

Milk Chocolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants consume milk chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.

Label: Milk Chocolate

White Chocolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants consume white chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.

Label: White Chocolate

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adult males and females aged between 18 and 40 years.
• Participants with blood pressure within the normal or elevated range (less than 130/80 mmHg), according to the American Heart Association guidelines.

You may not qualify if:

• Females with menopause will be excluded due to the physiological effects of menopause and to ensure hormonal stability.
• Participants with nut allergies, due to the possibility that the chocolate used may contain traces of nuts resulting from manufacturing processes.
• Participants with dairy allergies, due to the use of milk chocolate and white chocolate, and the possibility that dark chocolate may contain traces of milk resulting from manufacturing processes .
• Participants with chronic diseases that may affect the study variables, such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes, or any medical condition that affects circulation.
• Participants using medications that may affect the targeted physiological measurements in the study, such as antihypertensive medications, antidiabetic medications, or drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system.
• Participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m², due to the association between obesity and vascular dysfunction, characterized by increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness, which may lead to variability in vascular responses.
• Participants who are physically active (≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), to avoid the impact of high levels of training on vascular responses.
• Smokers, due to the chronic effects of smoking on endothelial function and arterial stiffness.
• Participants with back injuries that limit their ability to sit continuously for three hours.
• Female participants who are pregnant, breastfeeding, due to the associated hormonal changes that may influence the physiological indicators measured in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• King Saud University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Exercise Physiology Laboratory, King Saud University

Riyadh, Riyadh Region, 11451, Saudi Arabia

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Abdullah B Alansare, PhD

  King Saud University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Razan S Alahmadi, MSc Candidate

CONTACT

+966151988757; rssarhan@ksu.edu.sa

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Each participant receives all three chocolate conditions (dark, milk, and white chocolate) in randomized order across three separate visits with a 7-day washout period between visits.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 22, 2026
• First Posted: April 29, 2026
• Study Start: April 4, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: April 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

SA (1)