How can chokeberry (Aronia) (poly)phenol-rich supplementation help athletes? A systematic review of human clinical trials

Athletes are increasingly consuming (poly)phenol supplements to modify oxidative stress and/or exercise-induced inflammation, in the hope that this will enhance exercise performance. Chokeberries are rich in (poly)phenols and may therefore influence the health and performance of athletes. The objective of this systematic review was to comprehensively explore the effects of chokeberry supplementation on performance and exercise-induced biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and haematology in the athletic population. A search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Studies were included if the participants were athletes, supplemented with chokeberry or chokeberry-based products, and evaluated sports-related outcomes. A total of ten articles were included in the study. The participants of all the studies were athletes and included rowers, football players, handball players, triathletes, and runners. A qualitative comprehensive summary of the applications of chokeberry supplementation targeting the athletic population has been evaluated. This included the effect of chokeberry supplementation on redox status, exercise-induced inflammation, haematology, iron metabolism, platelet aggregation, metabolic markers, body composition, and exercise performance. Chokeberry (poly)phenol-rich supplementation may be effective in enhancing the redox balance of athletes, yet more evidence is required to provide solid conclusions on its effect on inflammation, platelet function, iron metabolism and exercise performance.