NCT01408966

Effects of Dark vs. White Chocolate on the Postprandial Increase in Portal Pressure in Cirrhosis

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 22 (actual)
• Sponsor: Hospital Clinic of Barcelona · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study was aimed at testing the hypothesis that supplementing a meal with dark chocolate, which holds potent antioxidant properties, might attenuate the postprandial increase in the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG, clinical equivalent of portal pressure) in patients with cirrhosis

Detailed description

Previous studies showed that the intrahepatic circulation in cirrhosis is not able to adapt to sudden increases in blood flow, such as that occurring after a meal, due to endothelial dysfunction. This leads to a brisk increase in portal pressure (estimated by the HVPG). This method is therefore useful to assess the efficacy of compounds potentially ameliorating intrahepatic endothelial dysfunction. Dark chocolate, which contains a high proportion of cocoa flavonoids such as cathechin and epicatechin- powerful antioxidants, increases NO availability in the systemic circulation and improves systemic endothelial function. We hypothesised that the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate could be beneficial in patients with cirrhosis, since they might improve intrahepatic endothelial dysfunction. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether a dark chocolate-containing test meal may attenuate the post-prandial increase in HVPG in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. HVPG was measured at baseline and 30 minutes after the administration of a test meal supplemented by either dark or white chocolate. Portal vein blood flow and hepatic artery blood flow were measured by Doppler ultrasound. Catechins and NOx were determined for both timepoints.

Conditions

• Cirrhosis
• Portal Hypertension

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	DarkChocolate	Dark chocolatee 0.55 g/kg of body weight was given together with the test meal in sitting position after the baseline measurement of HVPG. The meal + chocolate was ingested in 8 minutes.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	WhiteChocolate	White chocolate 0.63 g/kg white chocolate (Lindt Excellence Natural Vanilla, Lindt \& Sprüngli España) in an iso-caloric and iso-volumetric proportion adjusted to body weight was used as a control

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-08-01
• Primary completion: 2008-10-01
• Completion: 2009-06-01
• First posted: 2011-08-03
• Last updated: 2011-08-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain