Poor physical performance is associated with a higher risk of falls, fractures, and premature death among older adults. We determined whether supplementation with cocoa extract vs placebo or multivitamin/multimineral (MVM) vs placebo for 2 yr benefited physical performance measures. The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study was a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial of supplemental cocoa extract and/or MVM vs placebo for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer in 21 442 US adults. This ancillary study was completed in a New England sub-cohort that underwent physical performance measurements, including grip strength, walking speed, standing balance, repeated chair stands, and timed-up and go (TUG) test, at baseline and 2-yr follow-up. In the clinic sub-cohort (n = 603) with a mean (±SD) age of 69.7 ± 5.5 yr and 49.3% women, supplemental cocoa extract, compared to cocoa-extract placebo, did not affect 2-yr changes in our primary pre-specified, co-equal outcomes of grip strength, walking speed, and the Short Physical Performance Battery (composite of walking speed, standing balance, and chair stands) or in secondary outcomes of standing balance, chair stands, or TUG tests. No effect modification by baseline characteristics of age, sex, body mass index, or randomization to MVM supplementation was observed. In parallel analyses, MVM, compared to MVM placebo, also did not affect physical performance measures. Supplementation with cocoa extract did not prevent age-related declines in physical performance measures in older ambulatory US men and women.
Keywords: Short Physical Performance Battery; cocoa extract; flavanol; grip strength; multivitamin/multimineral; physical performance; walking speed.
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.