The Effect of a Chocolate Bar Supplementation on Moderate Exercise Recovery of Recreational Runners

To study the effects of a chocolate bar supplementation before exercise on improving recovery of physiological and metabolic changes induced by exercise, 16 male students aged 18-20 years voluntarily served as subjects. A crossover design was employed. Each subject took part in two trials and ran an hour on a treadmill with the intensity of keeping heart rate at 148-150 min for each trial. Results showed that plasma glucose levels of subjects increased significantly (5.42±0.83 mmol/L) at 15 min after ingestion of a chocolate bar and maintained in moderate high levels (4.92 ±0.57 mmol/L) until 30 min after an hour’s running while the glucose levels were low and dropped to under normal ranges (3.84 ± 0.31 mmol/L) at 30 min after exercise as they were with a supplement of placebo. Results of plasma FFA, blood lactate and plasma urea nitrogen levels and RPE all indicated that chocolate bar supplementation before exercise benefits to create the necessary prerequisite for exercise and recovery