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Study Concludes Dark Chocolate May Help Improve Longevity Of Cirrhosis Patients

1st November, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Dark chocolate has heart health benefits for those with cirrhosis and a related condition known as portal hypertension, according to a recent research project. This article details the science behind this sweet news.|Dark chocolate is not only good for the heart. It can also be good for the liver, especially in anyone who has liver damage from cirrhosis and a related condition known as portal hypertension. This article provides details.[/summary]

[body]Cirrhosis of the liver kills more between 10 and 15 thousand people each year in the United States alone. Recent statistics show it to be the 12th leading cause of disease-related death in the country.

Anything that helps a cirrhosis sufferer live longer definitely comes as good news. But recent research into the effects of eating dark chocolate on the health of the liver – especially on cirrhosis and portal hypertension – has turned up some particularly interesting findings.

Researchers revealed findings that eating dark chocolate could actually lower portal hypertension in patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. The announcement came at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria, in April 2010.

To understand the findings, it helps to know a bit about the causes of cirrhosis on the liver, and the nature of portal hypertension.

Cirrhosis results from long term damage to the liver. Healthy liver tissue is destroyed and replaced by scar tissue. Normally, your liver can actually generate new cells, which it can use to replace cells that have suffered damage. Unfortunately, scarring that has built up to the cirrhosis stage is irreversible. Blood can no longer flow through the scar tissue, and liver function begins to deteriorate. As more scar tissue grows, liver function continues to decrease. Eventually, the liver will fail, which is a life-threatening event.

Hepatitis and excessive alcohol use are the two major causes of cirrhosis. Either of them can lead to life-threatening liver damage and complications.

One of these complications is a problem known as portal hypertension. Portal hypertension occurs when blood pressure rises in the portal vein, which carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver. Higher pressure in the portal vein can large veins called varices to develop across the esophagus and stomach to bypass any blockage. Due to the fact that these blood vessels are fragile in the first place, and because they’re under an abnormal amount of pressure, ruptures are more likely to occur. These cirrhosis-related ruptures, which doctors call bleeding varices, are extremely dangerous.

Researchers working in Spain discovered that eating dark chocolate reduces the threat caused by the combination of portal hypertension and bleeding varices in those who have cirrhosis.

After a meal, blood pressure usually rises in your abdominal veins because of greater blood flow to the liver. This creates a hazardous situation for anyone with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, because increased blood pressure in the abdominal veins also means an increased chance of rupture.

Dark chocolate contains a lot of flavenoids, which are chemicals that have been proven to be beneficial for the body – especially the heart. They also have the ability to relax and widen blood vessels, improving blood flow and decreasing blood pressure. It should be noted that flavenoids are not present in all types of chocolate. But the darker the chocolate, the more flavenoids it contains.

In the Spanish study, subjects with cirrhosis consumed a liquid meal containing either 85-percent cocoa dark chocolate or white chocolate. Subjects who ate white chocolate experienced a rise in blood pressure that was “statistically significant” over those who ate dark chocolate, according to the research team. This discovery indicated to the research team that dark chocolate could decrease the likelihood of blood vessel ruptures in those with cirrhosis.

For years, chocolate was considered just another candy or junk food. But as scientists learned more about the benefits of flavenoids, dark chocolate came to be considered more like a health food. Because chocolate contains flavonoids, it offers many of the same health benefits as darkly colored vegetables. In fact, dark chocolate offers nearly eight times the amount of flavenoids found in strawberries.

Anyone with cirrhosis must always remind themselves of the dangers of portal hypertension and the possibility of blood vessel ruptures. The research reported in Spain makes it clear that eating some dark chocolate after a meal could be a good idea for people with cirrhosis.

Click on cirrhosis and signs and symptoms of liver failure for more. Neal Kennedy is a retired TV news anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He is a frequent contributor to Keeping Your Liver Healthy, a resource website about liver health and digestive wellness.