An interventional study of dark chocolate and Milk Chocolate in Cardiovascular Health During Prolonged Sitting, sponsored by King Saud University. Recruiting at 1 site in Saudi Arabia. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-07.
Sponsored by King Saud University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This randomized controlled crossover trial investigates the acute effects of consuming dark, milk, and white chocolate before prolonged sitting on cardiovascular health in healthy young women . Each participant completes three separate study visits and receives all three chocolate conditions in a randomized order, with a 7-day washout period between visits. Blood pressure, heart rate, pulse wave velocity, blood glucose, appetite, pain, and calf circumference are measured before and during a 3-hour sitting perio
Prolonged sitting is associated with acute adverse changes in vascular and metabolic health. Cocoa-rich chocolate contains bioactive compounds that may influence vascular responses; however, the effects of different chocolate types consumed before prolonged sitting are not fully understood.
This study is a randomized controlled crossover trial in healthy young women. Each participant completes three experimental visits and receives all three chocolate conditions (dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate) in a randomized sequence determined before enrollment. A 7-day washout period is maintained between visits to minimize carryover effects.
At each visit, baseline measurements are obtained before chocolate consumption. Participants then consume the assigned chocolate condition, followed by post-consumption assessments and a standardized 3-hour sitting period. Repeated measurements are collected throughout the sitting period.
Outcome measures include blood pressure, heart rate, pulse wave velocity, capillary blood glucose, appetite visual analogue scale(VAS), pain visual analogue scale(VAS), and calf circumference. The study aims to compare acute physiological responses among the three chocolate conditions before prolonged sitting.
King Saud University is the lead sponsor of 169 studies on the registry; 21 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The criteria were revised on the registry on Oct 7, 2026. See what changed
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive dark chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.
Dietary Supplement: dark chocolate
Participants receive milk chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.
Dietary Supplement: Milk Chocolate
Participants receive white chocolate prior to prolonged sitting.
Dietary Supplement: White Chocolate
Participants consume dark chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.
Participants consume milk chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.
Participants consume white chocolate 1 hour before prolonged sitting.
Blood Pressure (Systolic, Diastolic, Mean Arterial Pressure)
Blood pressure will be measured using an automated sphygmomanometer under each chocolate condition (dark, milk, white).
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Pulse Wave Velocity
Arterial stiffness will be assessed using estimated pulse wave velocity under each chocolate condition.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Heart Rate Variability
Autonomic cardiac function will be assessed using heart rate variability derived from RR interval recordings under each chocolate condition.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Heart Rate
Heart rate will be measured under each chocolate condition during the study visits.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting.
Capillary Blood Glucose
Capillary blood glucose will be measured using finger-prick blood samples under each chocolate condition.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Appetite Visual Analog Scale
Subjective appetite sensations, including hunger, satiety, fullness, and prospective food consumption, will be assessed using 100-mm Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), ranging from 0 to 100 mm. Higher scores indicate a greater intensity of the appetite sensation being assessed.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Pain Visual Analog Scale
Pain will be assessed using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 mm ("no pain") to 100 mm ("worst pain imaginable"). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity (a worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline, 1 hour post-chocolate, and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Calf Circumference
Calf circumference will be measured to assess lower limb swelling during prolonged sitting.
Time frame: Baseline and hourly during 3 hours of prolonged sitting
Plan to share: Undecided — Data sharing plans have not yet been finalized and will be determined after study completion in consultation with the investigators and institutional policies.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Apr 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Oct 2026, 6 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.