Chocolate before the desk: could it shield your heart?
NCT ID NCT07556627
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether eating dark, milk, or white chocolate an hour before sitting for three hours can help maintain healthy blood pressure and heart function. Twenty-two healthy adults aged 18 to 40 will try each type of chocolate on separate days. Researchers will measure blood pressure, heart rate, and other heart health markers before and during the sitting period.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- chocolate (dark, milk, white)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could suggest that a small amount of dark chocolate before long periods of sitting may help protect heart health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 22 healthy adults, so results may not apply to everyone. The effects are measured over just a few hours, so long-term benefits are unknown.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 22 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult males and females aged between 18 and 40 years. * Participants with blood pressure within the normal or elevated range (less than 130/80 mmHg), according to the American Heart Association guidelines. Exclusion Criteria: * Females with menopause will be excluded due to the physiological effects of menopause and to ensure hormonal stability. * Participants with nut allergies, due to the possibility that the chocolate used may contain traces of nuts resulting from manufacturing processes. * Participants with dairy allergies, due to the use of milk chocolate and white chocolate, and the possibility that dark chocolate may contain traces of milk resulting from manufacturing processes . * Participants with chronic diseases that may affect the study variables, such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes, or any medical condition that affects circulation. * Participants using medications that may affect the targeted physiological measurements in the study, such as antihypertensive medications, antidiabetic medications, or drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system. * Participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m², due to the association between obesity and vascular dysfunction, characterized by increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness, which may lead to variability in vascular responses. * Participants who are physically active (≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), to avoid the impact of high levels of training on vascular responses. * Smokers, due to the chronic effects of smoking on endothelial function and arterial stiffness. * Participants with back injuries that limit their ability to sit continuously for three hours. * Female participants who are pregnant, breastfeeding, due to the associated hormonal changes that may influence the physiological indicators measured in the study.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Exercise Physiology Laboratory, King Saud University
RECRUITINGRiyadh, Riyadh Region, 11451, Saudi Arabia