diff --git a/benchmark/streams/readable-async-iterator.js b/benchmark/streams/readable-async-iterator.js
index 0455f67195fcd6..3d06eda7458105 100644
--- a/benchmark/streams/readable-async-iterator.js
+++ b/benchmark/streams/readable-async-iterator.js
@@ -34,9 +34,8 @@ async function main({ n, sync }) {
     }
   }
 
-  // Side effect to ensure V8 does not optimize away the
-  // loop as a noop.
-  console.log(x);
+  // Use x to ensure V8 does not optimize away the loop as a noop.
+  console.assert(x);
 
   bench.end(n);
 }