2026-07-09 11:04:31
A quick sniff of chocolate before hitting the weights could help gym-goers squeeze out extra repetitions, according to new research.
Scientists found that smelling chocolate, especially dark chocolate, boosted resistance training performance while also making people feel less hungry.
Researchers from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur tested the unusual theory on 23 healthy men in their early to mid-20s after they had fasted for 10 hours.
Participants were divided into three groups and asked to sniff either liquified 90 per cent dark chocolate, 60 per cent milk chocolate or water before and during a series of leg extension exercises.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, the researchers found those exposed to the dark chocolate aroma completed significantly more repetitions than those smelling water, while milk chocolate also improved performance.
Senior author Dr Mohamed Nashrudin bin Naharudin said: “Sniffing a 90 percent dark chocolate odour added about 18 more repetitions to participants’ leg extensions while a 60% milk chocolate odour added about nine repetitions compared to the water control.
“Exposing moderately trained men to chocolate odours right before and between sets of resistance exercise significantly increased their overall training volume without increasing their perceived exertion. Seeing a substantial increase in repetitions without the athletes feeling like they were exerting themselves any harder is a fascinating psychobiological outcome.”
The team also found volunteers reported feeling less hungry, had a lower desire to eat and felt fuller after smelling dark chocolate.
Dr Nashrudin added: “The 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.
“Conversely, the sweeter milk chocolate scent acts more like a hedonic reward cue, enhancing training volume by creating a highly pleasant sensory environment rather than by shifting basic metabolic hunger signals.”
Researchers believe other appealing food aromas could produce similar effects, although they stressed larger studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
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