An experiment conducted by scientists from Malaysia demonstrated that exposure to the scent of dark chocolate contributes to increased endurance during strength exercises. Participants exposed to this aroma were able to perform more repetitions and sets on a leg extension machine compared to those who used milk chocolate or water. Furthermore, the subjective assessment of physical exertion remained the same regardless of the olfactory stimulus used.
Strength exercises are fundamental to athletic preparation, but their effectiveness can decrease due to calorie deficit and hunger. Recent scientific studies indicate that feelings of hunger can negatively affect both strength training and endurance training, even if the body's overall energy balance remains positive. Consequently, influencing appetite without changing actual energy intake can be seen as a way to overcome psychological barriers during intense sessions.
Olfaction stands out among external factors regulating appetite due to its close connection with the limbic and hypothalamic areas of the brain, allowing it to link scent perception with emotional responses and appetite control. Food-associated aromas can stimulate saliva production, gastric secretion, and food motivation. At the same time, other smells can suppress the desire to eat and induce a feeling of satiety. Nevertheless, little is known about how such scents directly affect physical performance.
A group of researchers led by Mohammed Nashruddin bin Naharudin from the University of Malaysia studied whether controlled olfactory stimulation could influence the intensity of physical exercise by altering appetite. The study included 23 healthy men with an average age of 23.4 years who regularly attended the gym at least twice a week. Before the workout, participants were asked to smell one of three aromas: melted dark chocolate with 90% cocoa content, milk chocolate with 60% cocoa content, or a control sample of distilled water. Propylene glycol was present in all tested samples.
Hunger and scent appeal were assessed using a 100-point visual analog scale, while perceived physical exertion was measured using the Borg scale. Afterward, participants performed weighted leg extension exercises, recording the maximum number of repetitions in each set and the total number of sets. Athletes visited the laboratory five times, with an interval of no less than four days. Each study involved two consecutive stages: assessing hunger and scent pleasantness, followed by performing the exercise and rating the perceived load when using one olfactory stimulus.
Preliminary analysis showed that the scent of dark chocolate significantly reduced levels of hunger and appetite. Meanwhile, milk chocolate received a high rating on the pleasantness scale. Moreover, it was found that the dark chocolate scent correlated with an average increase of 18 repetitions in a single leg extension set, whereas the milk chocolate scent increased this number by nine compared to the control group (p < 0.001 for both scents). Additionally, dark chocolate allowed for one extra set compared to milk chocolate and the control (p < 0.001).
It is important to note that the subjective feeling of physical exertion did not show differences depending on the scents, although a gradual increase in load was observed in each group. Thus, the scent of dark chocolate enabled a greater volume of work to be performed while maintaining the same perceived exertion rating. The scientists hypothesize that this effect is related to the suppression of hunger, since participants started the workout in a state of hunger. More extensive and fundamental scientific research is necessary for final confirmation and detailed description of the identified relationships.
The final match of the World Championship concluded, marking the end of the tournament battles. In it, the national teams of Spain, the reigning European champion, and Argentina, the holder of the Copa América title, faced each other.
The competition was under the complete control of the Spanish team. During the game, dubbed 'Red Fury,' more than twenty shots were taken, and every shot was aimed at Emiliano Martínez. The main part of the match passed without any goals, which necessitated moving to extra time.
In the 106th minute, Ferran Torres managed to score a goal, opening the scoring. This goal remained the only one in the match until its conclusion, allowing Spain to win the World Championship title.
In China's southern province of Hainan, it is transforming into a launchpad for scientific breakthroughs and affordable medicine thanks to the support of the Free Trade Port. Futuristic realities are emerging here, such as bionic fish navigating the sea, cartilage regeneration in laboratory settings, and the reduction in cost of local innovative drugs.
Hainan is actively developing advanced scientific fields. Achievements noted include the development of bionic fish capable of orienting themselves in the marine environment, as well as successes in regenerative medicine where cartilage tissue is being restored in laboratories.
Furthermore, there is a trend in the province toward locally produced innovative drugs becoming more accessible to the population, which contributes to the development of an accessible healthcare system.
Yuri Leitao from Portugal won the final stage of the 25th Magnificent Qinghai Tour, while Jonathan Caicedo from Ecuador became the overall race winner. The eighth stage of the cycling tour covered a distance of 146 kilometers, starting in Sihaizhen and finishing in the scenic Qinghai Lake area on Saturday.
The concluding part of the race included three intermediate sprint points and one category three climb. The race was intense, especially in the battle for the sprint classification after seven stages.
In the sprint classification, Henok Mulubrhan from Eritrea of the XDS Astana team and Alexander Salbi from Denmark of the Li Ning Star team competed, trailing each other by only one point. The three sprint points on the route, as well as the final dash, gave them a chance to win the green jersey.
Salbi started the race confidently, winning the first two intermediate sprints and earning 10 points, which allowed him to temporarily lead the standings. However, the Danish athlete later dropped from the main group during the climb, thus ending his fight before the final sprint.
Later, the peloton rejoined for a group sprint, resulting in Leitao from Caja Rural - Seguros RGA winning the last stage, and Caicedo from Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu securing the overall tour title.
