Could Cocoa Improve Heart Health in Kidney Patients?

Consuming a drink containing cocoa flavanols could help patients with kidney failure improve blood vessel function, according to a recent study.

Patients with kidney disease are more likely to develop heart problems, and dietary therapeutic approaches to mitigate this risk are limited. Previous studies, however, have suggested that cocoa flavanol-rich supplements can improve vascular function.
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Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 57 participant who ingested either a beverage contining 900 mg of cocoa flavanols each day, or a control beverage free of cocoa flavanols.

Overall, acute ingestion of cocoa flavanols improved flow-mediated dilation by 53%, compared to placebo, with no effects on blood pressure. Ingestion over 30 days lead to an 18% increase in flow-mediated dilation, as well as a reduction in diastolic blood pressure and increased heart rate versus placebo.

“Dietary cocoa flavanol ingestion mitigates acute hemodialysis–induced and chronic endothelial dysfunction in patients with end stage renal disease and thus, improves vascular function in this high-risk population,” they concluded.

“Larger clinical trials are warranted to test whether this translates into an improved cardiovascular prognosis in patients with end stage renal disease.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:
Rassaf T, Rammos C, Heiss C, et al. Vasculoprotective effects of dietary cocoa flavanols in patients on hemodialysis: a double–blind, randomized, placebo–controlled trial. CJASN. December 2015 [epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.2215/​CJN.05560515.