Cocoa Flavanols in Renal Disease

Purpose of the study is to characterize the potential acute and long-term improvement of dietary flavanols on vascular function in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Patients will twice daily receive either a flavanol-poor or a flavanol-rich drink. In a double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study the safety, efficacy and acute beneficial effects of flavanol ingestion will be assessed in 10 patients with ESRD. In a 30 day long-term, double blind, placebo-controlled parallel study the chronic effects of dietary flavanols on vascular function in 52 patients with ESRD will be evaluated.