Cocoa Helps Patients With Kidney Failure

Nutrients in cocoa can improve the heart health of patients with kidney failure.

Individuals who have problems with their kidneys are at risk of heart problems and are more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than from any other cause.

In a new study, doctors in Germany examined the effects of two nutrients found in cocoa: catechin and epicatechin. These
nutrientd are part of a group of compounds called flavanols. They are also present in tea and red wine.

According to the research published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, a group of 57 patients who were undergoing dialysis were given either a test beverage rich in cocoa flavanols (900 mg per day) or a control beverage without cocoa flavanols - but with the same nutritional content as the test drink in all other aspects.

Blood flow and blood pressure were dramatically improved in the group of patients who took the beverage rich in cocoa flavonols within a month, but there was no such effect in the control group.

The researchers however noted that these compounds found in cocoa beans, were largely absent from processed chocolates.