Show notes
Academic Summary: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, exposure to 90% dark chocolate and 60% milk chocolate odors significantly increased resistance exercise performance (total leg extension repetitions) in moderately trained men compared to a water control. Total repetitions were 18 higher with dark chocolate and nine higher with milk chocolate odor, with 90DC odor primarily associated with significant appetite suppression and 60MC odor with increased perceived pleasantness. These findings indicate that repeated, brief olfactory stimuli, specifically related to learned chocolate-food associations, can modulate subjective psychobiological responses and extend training volume to volitional exhaustion under fasted conditions, without modifying post-set perceived exertion.#Science #ExercisePhysiology #Biohacking #FastedTraining #Olfaction #SportsNutrition #PerformanceHacks #Chocolate #CatalystAnalysis #TheCatalystFormal Citation: Fan X, Deng H, Ng JY, Ab Aziz AAH, Naharudin MN. Chocolate odor enhances resistance exercise performance through appetite suppression in the fasted state: an exploratory study. Front. Physiol. 2026;17:1834757. doi:10.3389/fphys.2026.1834757Medical & Legal Disclaimer: The information presented here is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this content. The Catalyst analysis is provided for educational purposes and is not affiliated with, nor receives funding from, the pharmaceutical or supplement industry. This content is non-monetized.Alchepharma,Ralph Turchiano,exercise physiology,sports science,resistance training,muscle hypertrophy,fasted exercise performance,intermittent fasting and exercise,olfactory stimulation,appetite regulation,cephalic-phase response,10-repetition maximum,leg extension performance,perceived exertion Borg CR10,psychobiological factors in exercise,sports nutrition supplements non-ingestive,biohacking training volume,olfactory-event-related potentials.