In a story that is bound to bring new meaning to the doctor-patient relationship, researchers have found that dark chocolate can actually help patients suffering from liver disease and high blood pressure, so much so that it was suggested that physicians may one day be prescribing it to their patients. While it is difficult to envision such a scenario ever coming to fruition, it is nice to know that something that gives many people such great pleasure might also be good for them.

According to a recent study, consumption of dark chocolate was found to reduce the damage that occurs to the blood vessels of patients suffering from liver cirrhosis while also lowering high blood pressure in the liver (portal hypertension). The therapeutic effects are based on the fact that chocolate is rich in antioxidants that help relieve the hypertension that is linked to damaged blood vessels in the liver. Furthermore, these benefits are believed to apply throughout the entire body. Unfortunately, white chocolate was not found to have the same healthful effect due to the absence of the beneficial phytochemicals found in dark chocolate.

In the study in question, 21 patients suffering from end stage liver disease and cirrhosis were put on a restricted diet which included consumption of either dark or white chocolate in a liquid form. Dosages of chocolate were scaled according to the subject’s body weight. Levels of both liver and arterial blood pressure were taken at the onset of the study (baseline) and 30 minutes after the meal.

What the researchers found was that both white and dark chocolate resulted in an increase in blood flow to the liver, which was accompanied by an increase in blood pressure in the organ. However, consumption of dark chocolate was linked to a significantly smaller increase.

The significance of this lies in the fact that in patients suffering from cirrhosis, circulation to the liver is compromised by oxidative stress. While it natural for blood pressure in the abdominal veins to increase after a meal, in cirrhotic patients, the increase in portal pressure can lead to rupturing of the blood vessels. The consumption of antioxidants is believed to reduce some of the stress that results from this damage.

Cirrhosis causes nearly 27,000 deaths each year, making it the 12th leading cause of death by disease. A person suffering from cirrhosis experiences the gradual deterioration and subsequent malfunction of their liver due to chronic injury. Eventually, scar tissue slowly replaces healthy tissue, thereby compromising the proper functioning of the liver, an organ that is essential to survival.

Cirrhosis affects men slightly more than woman, and has various causes, the two most significant of which are excessive alcohol consumption and chronic hepatitis C infection. However, obesity is becoming an increasingly prominent factor.

If you have questions or concerns, consult with your primary care physician. For more information about cirrhosis, visit the website for the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), and division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).