Frontiers in Physiology: Chocolate aroma helped increase exercise volume

Scientists have found that smelling chocolate before strength training and between sets may improve physical performance without causing participants to feel more fatigued. The most noticeable effect in the small study was observed with the aroma of dark chocolate.

The study involved 23 healthy men aged 20 to 25 who exercised regularly. The participants were divided into three groups: one inhaled the aroma of liquid dark chocolate containing 90% cocoa, another inhaled the aroma of milk chocolate with 60% cocoa, and the third received unscented water as a control. The study was published in Frontiers in Physiology.

Before the experiment, the men had not eaten for at least 10 hours. They then performed leg extensions — an exercise in which a person sits and straightens their legs against resistance. Participants were exposed to the corresponding aroma immediately before the workout and between sets.

The researchers assessed the number of repetitions completed as well as the participants' perceived exertion. They found that the chocolate aroma allowed participants to perform more repetitions, while they did not perceive the workout as being more difficult.

Different aromas affected the participants' appetite in different ways. Compared with water and milk chocolate aroma, the smell of dark chocolate was associated with a lower level of hunger, reduced desire to eat, and a lower intention to have a snack in the near future. At the same time, participants reported feeling fuller.

Milk chocolate aroma had a different effect. Participants rated it as more pleasant than the aromas of dark chocolate and water, but it did not produce a significant change in hunger or appetite.

Differences were also observed in exercise performance. After exposure to the dark chocolate aroma, participants completed an average of about 18 more leg extensions than when exposed to water. The milk chocolate aroma resulted in an increase of approximately nine repetitions.

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