Chronic Consumption of Cocoa Rich in Procyanidins Has a Marginal Impact on Gut Microbiota and on Serum and Fecal Metabolomes in Male Endurance Athletes

Cocoa is used in the sports world
as a supplement, although there
is no consensus on its use. We investigated the effect of cocoa intake
on intestinal ischemia (intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP)),
serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels, gastrointestinal symptoms,
and gut microbiota in endurance athletes during their training period
on an unrestricted diet. We also performed a metabolomics analysis
of serum and feces after a bout of exercise before and after supplementation.
Cocoa consumption had no effect on I-FABP, LPS, or gastrointestinal
symptoms. Cocoa intake significantly increased the abundance of Blautia and Lachnospira genera and decreased
the abundance of the Agathobacter genus, which was
accompanied by elevated levels of polyphenol fecal metabolites 4-hydroxy-5-(phenyl)-valeric
acid and O-methyl-epicatechin-O-glucuronide. Our
untargeted approach revealed that cocoa had no significant effects
on serum and fecal metabolites and that its consumption had little
impact on the metabolome after a bout of physical exercise.