Effect of Polyphenol-rich Dark Chocolate on Body Weight in Overweight and Obese Adults

October 20, 2014 updated by: Grace Farhat, Queen Margaret University

Effect of Polyphenol-rich Dark Chocolate on Body Weight in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Pilot Study

The aim of this study is to investigate if dark chocolate rich in polyphenols decreases body weight/ body fat in the overweight and obese adult population.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Polyphenols are phytochemicals widely available in plants, and may have several favourable effects on health. Dark chocolate (DC) is one of the highest sources of polyphenols in foods. Animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated that cocoa and dark chocolate may exert anti-obesity effects mainly due to the polyphenol effect on glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Human studies have showed that regular chocolate eaters have a lower body weight compared to non regular eaters, and that DC promotes satiety and reduces cravings. The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the effect of polyphenol-rich DC on body weight in the overweight and obese adult population, when incorporated into a non-restricted diet. Twenty-eight apparently healthy volunteers will be recruited. Participants will randomly receive 20g daily of one of the two different types of DC: Placebo DC (low in polyphenols) or DC rich in polyphenols (500mg) for a period of twelve weeks. Participants will be asked to make three appointments and one follow-up appointment to the university clinical lab. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage) will be taken during each visit. Compliance will be defined by the intake of 85 % or more of the chocolate weekly, and will be tested by the measure of total polyphenols in a 24-hour urine sample before, during and at the end of the intervention. To monitor any fluctuations in the participants' diet or physical activity during the study period, a three-day diet diary, a Food Frequency questionnaire assessment for polyphenol intake and a physical activity questionnaire will be collected before the start of the study and every four weeks. A follow-up appointment (four weeks after the end of intervention) will check if any differences in anthropometric measures have been maintained. Data will be analysed with an ANCOVA with time (pre- and post-) and treatment (DC and placebo) as between-subject factor. This study will have novel findings and will be the basis for a future larger trial.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
14

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • East Lothian
      • Musselburgh, East Lothian, United Kingdom, EH21 6UU
        • Queen Margaret University Lab

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy adults
  • BMI between 25-35
  • Males and Females
  • Age: 18-65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension or diabetes
  • Participants taking any medications that affect insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides or Blood pressure
  • Participants who recently participated or are currently on a weight management program
  • Participants with regular consumption of cocoa or DC (> 1 serving/week)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Polyphenol-rich Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate with 500 mg of polyphenols
Other: Polyphenol-rich Dark chocolate
Participants will be asked to consume 20g of dark chocolate containing 500mg of polyphenols daily for a period of 12 weeks
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Dark chocolate
This chocolate contains little or no polyphenols
Other: Placebo Dark chocolate
Participants will be asked to consume 20g of dark chocolate containing little or no polyphenols for a period of 12 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Body weight
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16
The body weight will be measured using a digital scale
Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Body Fat percentage
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16
Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16
Change in Waist circumference
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16
Baseline, week 6, week 12 and week 16
Change in urinary Cortisol-to-cortisone ratio
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6 and week 12
Baseline, week 6 and week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Queen Margaret University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Barry Callebaut

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Emad Al-Dujaili, PhD, Queen Margaret University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 10, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 12, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 17, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 21, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 20, 2014

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DC-BW 01

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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