Effects of Epicatechin-rich Cocoa on Collagen Synthesis (coca-dose)

Determining an Optimal Dose of Epicatechin-Rich Chocolate and Its Effect on Performance

This study will investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of epicatechin-rich cocoa in humans on collagen synthesis and power-based performance outcomes (rate of force development).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Collagen Synthesis
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Epicatechin-rich cocoa dose response; Other: Epicatechin-rich cocoa vs placebo on performance

Detailed Description

The investigators have recently completed a study looking at the expression of the collagens following consumption of increasing doses of epicatechin in rats . This data clearly shows that increasing doses of epicatechin, either 0.5 mg.kg-1 delivered once, twice, or three times a day, or 2 mg.kg-1 once a day, results in increasing expression of the fibrillar collagens (I, III, and V). This preliminary data suggests that epicatechin-rich chocolate supplementation can increase collagen expression in humans and that this may improve force transfer. From this background, the hypothesis proposed is that supplementation with epicatechin-rich chocolate will increase rate of force development and performance in athletes. Therefore, this simple nutrition intervention has the potential to simultaneously improve performance, decrease injuries and accelerate return to competition through improved collagen synthesis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Davis, California, United States, 95616
      • Neurobiology, Physiology & Behaviour

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 23 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Collegiate level male athletes between the ages of 18¬-25 years of age, currently participating in sport, will be recruited to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of more than 3 musculoskeletal injuries within the past 12 months.
• Health and dietary restriction (e.g. lactose intolerance) that would be affected by the supplementation protocol.
• The initial phase will be performed in males since collagen synthesis varies significantly throughout the menstrual cycle in females. Since collagen synthesis is the main outcome measure for the study this would confound the initial phase of the work. Provided this work proves successful then the investigators will aim to proceed with similar research in females.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Epicatechin Dose Response; This arm will investigate varying doses of epicatechin on procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) at varying doses CON, 1, 2, 3 mg/kg body mass.	Other: Epicatechin-rich cocoa dose response; Subjects consume randomized doses of 0, 1, 2, 3 mg epicatechin/kg from epicatechin-rich cocoa. The optimal dose of epicatechin-rich chocolate will be the dose which have the greatest increase PNIP levels.
Placebo Comparator: Epicatechin-rich cocoa on performance; Athletes will ingest the optimized dose of epicatechin-rich cocoa vs placebo alongside maximum power training to determine if this nutritional intervention results in a greater increase in RFD and performance than maximum power training alone.	Other: Epicatechin-rich cocoa vs placebo on performance; An optimized dose of epicatechin-rich cocoa or placebo will be given for 3 weeks alongside a prescribed power-based training program. In a randomized parallel design the effect of the optimal dose of epicatechin-rich chocolate, compared to placebo, on maximal isometric squat force, RFD, and jump testing will be quantified.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Epicatechin-rich cocoa dose response	investigating effects doses of 0, 1, 2, 3 mg epicatechin/kg/day procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) in the blood after 5 days of supplementation with 2-day wash out between.	~26 days
Effect of the optimized dose of epicatechin-rich cocoa on performance	Performance measures (of rate of force development) will be quantified for 3 weeks alongside the ingestion of an optimized dose of epicatechin-rich cocoa vs placebo.	~22 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Davis
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Keith Baar, PhD, UC Davis

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 23, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): August 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 7, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 7, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): July 11, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 3, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2021
• Last Verified: August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 1020494

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: The individual participant data will not be made available to other researchers. Any data shared will be published in a blinded manner.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No