Dark chocolate has health benefits for those with cirrhosis of the liver and a related condition known as portal hypertension, according to some recent research. This article explains 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 cirrhosis of the liver 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.
Needless to say, any discoveries that offer the prospect of a longer, happier and healthier life to cirrhosis patients will come as welcome news. But now medical researchers have come up with some sweet news – literally – about the effects of eating dark chocolate on liver health, especially for those with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
The announcement was made at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria, in April 2010. The report described data revealing that dark chocolate reduced portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis.
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 is a serious condition in which healthy tissue in the liver is destroyed and replaced by fibrous scar tissue. It usually occurs over an extended period of time. In a healthy person, the liver has will regenerate new cells in areas where injuries have occurred. However, when there’s so much damage that cirrhosis has occurred, the liver is unable to replace the scar tissue. Blood cannot flow through scar tissue, so as the scarring progresses, liver function degrades. Eventually, the liver will fail, which is a medical emergency and a life-threatening situation.
Cirrhosis results most often from two causes: drinking an excessive amount of alcohol, and hepatitis. No matter how you get it, cirrhosis can lead to some very dangerous liver trouble and complications.
One such complication is known as portal hypertension. The portal vein is a blood vessel which carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver. When blood pressure rises in this vein, it’s called portal hypertension. This rise in blood pressure in the portal vein often causes veins known as varices to develop across the stomach and esophagus to bypass any blockages. 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. Such blood vessel ruptures, also known as bleeding varices, can be very dangerous.
But a group of medical researchers working in Spain discovered that cirrhosis patients could lower their risk of bleeding varices by eating dark chocolate.
After a meal, blood pressure usually rises in your abdominal veins because of greater blood flow to the liver. This can be a dangerous time for people with cirrhosis, because they already have high blood pressure in the portal vein. Adding more pressure greatly increases the chance of a rupture.
Dark chocolate contains a high level chemicals known as flavenoids. Research has shown that flavenoids lower cholesterol and have a number of other heart-healthy benefits. Among other foods that contain flavenoids are blueberries, strawberries, grapes, cabbage and certain kinds of nuts. Flavenoids also help reduce blood pressure because they relax veins and arteries, allowing blood to flow more easily. It’s worth noting that not all types of chocolate have any flavenoids or blood vessel-influencing properties.
During the study in Spain, subjects received either a meal of white chocolate to eat, or a meal containing 85 percent cocoa dark chocolate. The researchers found that those given the dark chocolate had a statistically significant smaller rise in portal hypertension than those given white chocolate. These results seemed to indicate that cirrhosis patients who eat dark chocolate lower their risk of blood vessel ruptures.
Dark chocolate is no longer placed in the same category as other chocolate as “just candy.” The flavenoids it contains actually make it a nutritious health food when eaten moderately. Because of flavenoids, eating dark chocolate offers many of the same health benefits as eating dark vegetables and many fruits. In fact, dark chocolate has eight times the flavenoid content of strawberries.
Cirrhosis patients are always in danger from portal hypertension and must therefore be aware of the probability of bleeding varices. The research study reported in April 2010 seems to indicate that eating dark chocolate offers some benefits to cirrhosis patients who want to lower portal hypertension.
Click on |what is cirrhosis and liver failure symptoms for more. Neal Kennedy is a retired TV news anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He is a frequent contributor to You and Your Liver, a resource website about liver health and digestive wellness.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!