Effects of Acute Intake of Flavanols on Cerebral Oxygenation and Cognition in Young Male Adults

The study evaluates the impact of one acute dose of cocoa flavanols on brain oxygenation during a hypercapnia challenge, as well as impact on cognitive performance in young healthy males. It further assesses the impact of flavanols on peripheral vascular function, as measured by brachial Flow-mediated dilation (FMD). All participants received a high-flavanol cocoa intervention (185.5 mg of flavanols (-)-epicatechin and (+)- catechin) and a low-flavanol cocoa intervention (\< 4 mg of flavanols). It is hypothesized that the high-flavanol intervention increases cerebral oxygenation during hypercapnia and vascular function in comparison to the low-flavanol intervention.