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.

Anything that helps a cirrhosis sufferer live longer definitely comes as good news. But researchers who recently conducted a study into the benefits of eating dark chocolate have turned up some fascinating conclusions. It appears that eating dark chocolate extends the lives of cirrhosis and portal hypertension patients who eat it.

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.

When normal liver tissue is sufficiently damaged, it is replaced by fibrous scar tissue. When a sufficient amount of scar tissue replaces healthy tissue in the liver, the condition is called cirrhosis. A liver that is normal has the ability to generate new cells to replace those that have been damaged. However, when enough scar tissue has accumulated, damage cannot be reversed Scar tissue blocks blood flow, which hinders liver function. If this downward spiral isn't arrested, liver failure becomes inevitable.

The two most common causes of cirrhosis of the liver are alcohol abuse and hepatitis. Either of these causes can lead to several dangerous complications.

One of these complications is known to medical professionals as portal hypertension. Portal hypertension is a form of high blood pressure that occurs in the portal vein, a blood vessel that transports blood to the liver from the digestive organs. Higher pressure in the portal vein can large veins called varices to develop across the esophagus and stomach to bypass any blockage. These veins are fragile and they're already under substantial pressure. Ruptures become more likely. Known as bleeding varices, such cirrhosis-related blood vessel ruptures can be extremely dangerous.

Researchers working in Spain discovered that eating dark chocolate reduces the threat caused by the combination of portal hypertension and bleeding varices in those who have cirrhosis.

After you've eaten a meal, blood flow to your liver begins to increase to help prepare for digestion. This causes an increase in blood pressure in your abdominal area. This creates a hazardous situation for anyone with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, because increased blood pressure in the abdominal veins also means an increased chance of rupture.

Dark chocolate contains flavenoids, which are chemicals have been shown to promote heart health and lower cholesterol. Flavenoids can also be found in strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon, pecans, walnuts, grapes, and cabbage. It's been demonstrated that they also reduce hypertension by relaxing veins and arteries and facilitating blood flow. The darker the chocolate, the higher the amount of flavenoids. Keep in mind though, not all types of chocolate have these chemicals, and therefore not all chocolate is necessarily good for your heart.

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. This discovery indicated to the research team that dark chocolate could decrease the likelihood of blood vessel ruptures in those with cirrhosis.

For years, chocolate was considered just another candy or junk food. But as scientists learned more about the benefits of flavenoids, dark chocolate came to be considered more like a health food. Flavenoids, in fact, offer many of the same healthy food benefits as darkly colored vegetables and fruits. There are eight times as many flavenoids in dark chocolate as can be found in strawberries.

Any individual who is being treated for cirrhosis must also be wary of portal hypertension and the dangers of bleeding varices. The research reported in Spain makes it clear that eating some dark chocolate after a meal could be a good idea for people with cirrhosis.