The study, published in September 2026 in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, examined whether the smell of chocolate<\/a> could influence appetite and exercise performance, even when participants had not eaten anything.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Smelling dark chocolate helped participants complete 18 more reps<\/p>\n The study included 23 healthy men in their early to mid-20s with moderate resistance training experience.<\/p>\n Participants were divided into three groups and exposed to either dark chocolate containing 90% cocoa, milk chocolate containing 60% cocoa, or odorless water.<\/p>\n After fasting for at least 10 hours, they performed leg extensions while researchers monitored their performance, hunger levels, and perceived effort.<\/p>\n The results showed that participants exposed to dark chocolate completed approximately 18 more repetitions than those in the water control condition. Those exposed to milk chocolate completed around nine additional repetitions.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Despite completing more repetitions, participants did not report feeling like they were working any harder.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing a substantial increase in repetitions without the athletes feeling like they were exerting themselves any harder is a fascinating psychobiological outcome,\u201d said senior author Dr. Mohamed Nashrudin bin Naharudin.<\/p>\n Researchers also found that smelling dark chocolate reduced feelings of hunger and increased fullness before exercise. Milk chocolate, meanwhile, was rated as the more pleasant smell but did not significantly affect appetite.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n The researchers believe the results could be connected to how the brain associates familiar food smells with eating.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dark chocolate scent serves as a learned cue for a rich, bitter, and highly satiating food, which essentially tricks the system into an anticipatory state of fullness,\u201d Nashrudin Naharudin explained.<\/p>\n However, the researchers stressed that the findings are preliminary. The study involved only 23 young men, and researchers did not measure hormone levels or brain activity to determine exactly why the aromas affected performance.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n It also remains unclear whether chocolate is unique in producing these effects or whether other familiar food smells could have similar results.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t think chocolate is entirely unique, though it is a food cue with incredibly strong, universally recognized reward associations,\u201d Nashrudin Naharudin said.<\/p>\n Further research involving larger and more diverse groups will be needed to determine whether smelling chocolate could offer a practical benefit<\/a> during workouts.<\/p>\n![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CleanShot-2026-10-09-at-09.42.28-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
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