Acute (-)-Epicatechin Consumption: Effects on Local Vasodilation Following Resistance Exercise and High-Intensity Exercise Performance.

(-)-Epicatechin is a polyphenol previously shown to enhance vascular health. The purposes of the current studies were to determine the effect of acute (-)-epicatechin supplementation on local vasodilation in conjunction with resistance exercise (study 1) and on high-intensity exercise performance (study 2). For study 1, 11 men participated in two resistance exercise sessions, where they performed three sets of barbell curls while consuming 200 mg of 98% pure (-)-epicatechin or placebo.