Cocoa Flavanols and Exercise Performance

This product is free for SHPN members.

This webinar was presented live on June 22, 2022.

Data supporting the benefits of cocoa flavanols on cardiovascular performance continues to strengthen. This webinar reviews vasodilation strategies for supporting exercise performance, describes the nitric oxide based mechanism of cocoa flavanols, summarizes key cocoa flavanol clinical trial data (including recent topline results from Harvard's 21,400 person, five-year controlled trial of daily cocoa flavanol consumption) and identifies practical strategies for incorporating therapeutic levels of cocoa flavanols into a daily routine.

Sponsored by: FlavaNaturals

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 3
Performance Indicators: 4.2.5, 8.1.2, 8.3.6

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the mechanism of action of cocoa flavanols
2. Identify key factors to assess when selecting a pre-workout vasodilator for exercise performance
3. Describe the cardiovascular topline findings from Harvard's COSMOS trial (Cocoa Flavanol Supplement and Multivitamin Outcome Study)
4. Identify practical strategies for athletes to consume 500 – 1,000mg of cocoa flavanols daily

Speaker

Matt Darnell, PhD, RD, CSSD, SCCC

Matthew Darnell is an assistant professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition and director of the Master of Science in Sports Science program. He is also a registered dietitian, board-certified specialist in Sports Dietetics and certified strength and conditioning coach. Currently serving as the sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his research interests include nutrition and exercise approaches for improved athletic performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation.