# Cocoa flavanol supplementation in optimizing post-exercise glycemic control in rats with normoglycemia or diabetes mellitus: findings from the ECODIA study

## TL;DR

This study shows that cocoa flavanol supplementation improves blood sugar control after exercise in both diabetic and healthy rats.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that cocoa flavanols enhance post-exercise glycemic control in different diabetes models and normoglycemic rats.

## Key findings

- CF supplementation significantly reduced blood glucose levels 60 minutes post-exercise in all groups.
- In T2DM rats, CF improved glycemic response to levels similar to healthy placebo-treated rats.
- The effects of CF were not influenced by changes in aerobic performance or lactate levels.

## Abstract

This study investigated the acute effects of cocoa flavanol (CF) supplementation on
glucose homeostasis, aerobic performance, and lactate concentration in rats with type 1
diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and normoglycemia (NORM).

The study included 28 male Wistar rats (220-290 g). Induction of T1DM (n = 8) was
achieved through intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, while T2DM (n = 10) was
induced using an ad libitum high-fat diet combined with a fructose-rich
beverage. The rats in the NORM group (n = 10) received a standard diet for 30 days. Two
experiments were conducted: (1) T1DM rats performed two successive 30-minute
treadmill runs below the anaerobic threshold and (2) T2DM and NORM rats
underwent two incremental maximal treadmill running tests, both after CF or placebo
supplementation. Blood glucose concentrations were measured from pre-exercise to 60
minutes post-exercise.

Glycemic reduction at 60 minutes post-exercise was significantly potentiated by CF
compared with placebo supplementation in T1DM, T2DM, and normoglycemic rats (p < 0.05
for all). In T2DM rats, CF induced a glycemic response comparable to the NORM
placebo-supplemented condition. These effects of CF persisted despite variations in
aerobic performance or lactate concentration after incremental exercise.

Supplementation with CF prior to physical exercise elicited a pronounced post-aerobic
exercise glycemic reduction. This represents a promising strategy for mitigating the
duration of hyperglycemia exposure after physical exercise.