The Truth About Chocolate and Your Skin

Here's a formula for sensational skin: cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and . . . chocolate?

You heard right. When eaten, flavonol-rich cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, improves skin's texture, thickness, hydration, and blood flow. It may even boost your skin's defense against the sun by up to 25 percent! How? It packs serious antioxidant power. Just don't overdo it -- chocolate is high in fat and calories, too. And you still need to wear sunscreen every day.

Chocolate's good for your skin? It's true! Antioxidant compounds in cocoa, called flavonols, improve artery health by boosting blood flow, and that boost may be good for your skin, too.

Researchers discovered this chocolate benefit in a study of women who consumed half a cup of cocoa (containing 329 milligrams of flavonols per serving, the amount in a 3-½ ounce serving of dark chocolate) daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, the women experienced less skin dryness, scaling, and roughness compared to the beginning of the study. Also, their skin was thicker, exhibited improved blood flow, and was even more resistant to sun damage. Pretty amazing.

Still, don't toss your sunscreen and indulge in mass quantities of chocolate. Consume the sweet in moderation and apply sunscreen every day when you'll be outdoors for 20 minutes or more.

Long-term ingestion of high flavanol cocoa provides photoprotection against UV-induced erythema and improves skin condition in women. Heinrich, U., Neukam, K., Tronnier, H., Sies, H., Stahl, W., Journal of Nutrition 2006 Jun;136(6):1565-1569.