It has recently been suggested that cocoa may improve exercise performance and recovery. This study aim to evaluate the plasma and fecal metabolome after 10 weeks of cocoa supplementation during the training period in recreational athletes to detect possible metabolites involved in the observed benefits of cocoa in athletes

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-45 years of age
• high physical condition (VO2 ≥ 55 ml/kg/min)
• BMI 18-25 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

• antibiotics intake during 3 months prior to the study,
• smoking
• nutritional complements
• ergogenic complements
• prebiotics
• probiotics
• vegetarian or vegan diet
• chronic medication
• gastrointestinal surgery
• Any diagnosed disease