Don’t hesitate to add a little dark chocolate to your training diet. Yes, it can improve your endurance performance easily, says a new study on sports nutrition.

The findings from the study offer ammunition to athletes. Dark chocolate is very often being touted as a relatively healthy treat. Studies have showed that small amounts of dark chocolate may have good benefits for brain and heart.

The study mostly focused on the role of a substance named epicatechin, which is a plant nutrient found in cocoa. Epicatechin is high in dark chocolate. However, levels of epicatechin varies in dark chocolate based on how the sweet was produced.

Epicatechin levels would be relatively low in milk chocolate that contains little cocoa. White chocolate do not have or have a little amount of the nutrient. Epicatechin  has the tendency to prompt cells, which in turn line blood vessels to release extra nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide shows several effects in the body. The substance increases vasodilation slightly. Vasodilation is the condition of widening of the arteries and veins. This would improve cardiac function and blood flow. The substance also helps in goosing muscle cells and take in more blood sugar, thus they get increased energy, enhancing the passage of oxygen into cells.

- Sumana