Cocoa flavanols improve peakVO₂ and exercise capacity in a randomized double blinded clinical trial in healthy elderly people

68 healthy elderly adults (aged 55-79 years, 28 female), recruited from the general population. Key inclusion: >55 years of age, healthy status without diagnoses of cardiovascular disease. Key exclusion: age <55 or >80 years, non-cardiac limitations of exercise capacity, BMI >35 kg/m2, active smoking, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, cardiac pacemaker, acute respiratory tract infections, regular intake of any kind of medication.

Cocoa flavanols 500 mg oral capsule twice daily (1000 mg/day total, including 160 mg (-)-epicatechin) for 30 days.

Nutrient-matched placebo capsules (filled with microcrystalline cellulose and matched for theobromine and caffeine content) 500 mg oral twice daily for 30 days.

Peak oxygen consumption (peakVO2) assessed via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) at 30 days.surrogate