Health
News
The sin that's good for skin
Sometimes science does tell you what you want to hear. The latest piece of good news from the lab gives yet another boost to dark chocolate and its many fans
We’ve been hearing for some time that chocolate is good for us, as long as it’s dark and rich in flavanols. Past studies have produced evidence that a small amount, taken regularly, can improve blood vessel function and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. High quality dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which have antioxidant power – they’re thought to protect our bodies from the damage that can be caused by free radicals. (These are substances that our bodies create, that cause damage to our tissue in a variety of ways.) And, there’s the happy factor we get from chocolate, thanks to its ability to trigger the release of endorphins, our feel-good hormones.
A recent study now shows that dark chocolate may be good for our skin too. The research, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, involved giving 15 healthy volunteers 20g of specially produced dark chocolate with high flavanol levels every day for 12 weeks. Another group of 15 healthy volunteers were given the same amount of low flavanol chocolate each day for the same period.
When the 12 weeks were up, each of the volunteers had their Minimal Erythema Dose (MED) measured. Your MED shows how long your skin can stand a certain amount of UV rays before it burns. The results showed that those who’d been snacking daily on flavanol-rich chocolate had more than doubled their mean MED score. Their colleagues on chocolate low in flavanols showed little change to their MED.
But, before you head down to the corner shop there are a few important things to remember.
- Not all dark chocolate contains high levels of flavanols. The way chocolate is processed means that often a lot of the antioxidants are removed. Choose high quality chocolate with high levels of cocoa solids.
- Only chocolate high in flavanols is likely to offer any increased protection against the sun. And you still need to take care in the sun, with suncream, a hat, etc.
- A little, high-quality, high-flavanol chocolate is probably good for you, a lot probably isn’t.
- With only 30 people involved this was quite a small study. A bigger study size would be useful.
Useful links
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
