People mainly take Cocoa Flavanols for weight loss. Based on 4 first-hand reports and 9 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #1067 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 100% are positive.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: CF intake may improve vascular function, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress, and alter fat and carbohydrate utilization during exercise, but without affecting exercise performance. There is a strong need for future studies examining the synergetic effect of chronic CF intake and exercise training.
PubMed 29299877 ↗Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides evidence that cocoa flavanols could significantly improve endothelial function, with an optimal effect observed with 710 mg total flavanols, 95 mg (-)-epicatechin or 25 mg (+)-catechin. However, there was substantial variation in the results that could not be explained by the characteristics that we explored, and there were significant risk-of-bias concerns with a large majority of the studies.
PubMed 31524216 ↗Conclusion: In conclusion, the reviewed results suggest that consumption of cocoa products in bolus administration positively affects platelet aggregation in both healthy subjects and diseased patients. On the other hand, more evidence is required in order to assess the effect of long-term cocoa product ingestion and to identify the bioactive components involved.
PubMed 26040467 ↗Conclusion: Our study suggests that cocoa flavanol intake has favorable effects on select cardiometabolic biomarkers among adults. These findings support the need for large long-term RCTs to assess whether cocoa flavanol intake reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular events.
PubMed 27683874 ↗As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“It's the same one that was used in the recent study where they found a significant reduction in body fat and an increase in muscle mass.”
“Cocoa Flavanols: 500 mg , twice daily”
“Cocoa Flavanols: 500mg, twice daily”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate