Protective Effect of a Cocoa-Enriched Diet on Oxidative Stress Induced by Intensive Acute Exercise in Rats

Abstract

Intensive acute exercise can induce oxidative stress, leading to muscle damage and immune function impairment. Cocoa diet could prevent this oxidative stress and its consequences on immunity. Our aim was to assess the effect of a cocoa-enriched diet on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by peritoneal macrophages, blood immunoglobulin (Ig) levels, leukocyte counts, and the physical performance of rats submitted to an intensive acute exercise, as well as to elucidate the involvement of cocoa fiber in such effects. For this purpose, Wistar rats were fed either a standard diet, i.e., a diet containing 10% cocoa (C10), or a diet containing 5% cocoa fiber (CF) for 25 days. Then, half of the rats of each diet ran on a treadmill until exhaustion, and 16 h later, the samples were obtained. Both C10 and CF diets significantly prevented the increase in ROS production. However, neither the cocoa diet or the cocoa fiber-enriched diet prevented the decrease in serum IgG induced by acute exercise. Therefore, although the cocoa-enriched diet was able to prevent the excessive oxidative stress induced by intensive exercise, this was not enough to avoid the immune function impairment due to exercise.

Influence of Diets Enriched with Flavonoids (Cocoa and Hesperidin) on the Systemic Immunity of Intensively Trained and Exhausted Rats

“…Here, although we aimed to assess the changes immediately after exercise cessation, technical limitations meant that blood collection was actually performed 20–30 min after extenuation, which may be enough to normalize the number of circulating leukocytes and the concentration of plasma noradrenaline. On the other hand, the cocoa diet attenuated the cortisol increase, which is in line with previous studies that attribute such effect to the inhibition 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity by cocoa flavanoles [ 38 , 62 ].…”

“…Firstly, considering the exercise performance, we did not observe an improvement after 6 weeks of nutritional interventions with cocoa or cocoa plus hesperidin. This result agrees with most of the preclinical and clinical studies involving cocoa products, such as cocoa powder [ 38 , 42 , 49 ], cocoa flavanol capsules [ 37 ] or chocolate [ 36 , 50 , 51 ]. With regard to hesperidin, both preclinical [ 40 , 41 , 43 ] and clinical studies [ 35 , 39 , 52 , 53 ] have reported its ergogenic effects.…”

“…On the other hand, flavanones are found in citrus fruits and hesperidin is the most abundant, especially the 2S-hesperidin isomer [ 35 ]. Preclinical and clinical studies have associated both cocoa and hesperidin consumption with reduced oxidative stress after exercise [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Moreover, cocoa has shown interesting effects on the mucosal immunity and the gut microbiota in a rat model of acute intensive exercise, which was partially mediated by its fiber content [ 42 ].…”

Examining the Mechanisms behind Exercise’s Multifaceted Impacts on Body Composition, Cognition, and the Gut Microbiome in Cancer Survivors: Exploring the Links to Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

“…Since the exercise duration was only six weeks, the study participants may not have acclimated to the strenuous exercise by that point, potentially leading to an exaggerated inflammatory response. A single intensive bout of exercise can cause an overproduction of ROS leading to oxidative stress and potentially tissue damage [82]. On the contrary, regular exercise, as observed in breast cancer patients, allows the body to adapt to stress, enabling it to respond swiftly and prevent or minimize the harmful effects of oxidative stress on cellular structures.…”

From Cocoa to Chocolate: Effect of Processing on Flavanols and Methylxanthines and Their Mechanisms of Action

“…Although polyphenols exert their antioxidant capacity mainly through the direct neutralization of free radicals and chelating metals, such as Fe2+ and Cu+ [119,120], there are other mechanisms that have been reported, such as the stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis through the activation of the SIRT1 and Nrf2 signaling pathways [120,121]. Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates antioxidant responses, remains in the cytoplasm bound to the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1).…”