If you have a "bit of chocolate a day" habit, you might already have heard of some of the research surrounding the health benefits of chocolate, which in its purer forms has been tied to heart and metabolic health. It's also a source of antioxidants. Now it turns out that it might be a skin protector too.
Chocolate as a sweet sunscreen?
A new study shows that high-flavanol cocoa protects skin from ultraviolet rays. No, not when you slather it on the skin, but when you eat it.
By STARRE VARTAN, Mother Nature Network
July 10, 2012 at 5:08PM
A study in the Journal of Nutrition indicates that high-flavanol cocoa protects skin from UV rays. No, not when you slather it on the skin, but when you eat it.
According to the journal article summary, "One group of women ingested 326 mg/d of high flavanol cocoa, rich in the antioxidants epicatechin and catechin, and another group consumed only 27 mg/d over a 12-week period. At the end, the high flavanol group showed decreased sensitivity to UV light, increased cutaneous and subcutaneous blood flow, skin hydration and thickness, as well as reduced roughness and scaling."
This means that those who consumed the chocolate drink with higher amounts of flavanols suffered less significant burns than those who had a drink with less.
What this information does not mean is that eating a Kit Kat or Snickers bar every day is advisable. Processed chocolate candy contains very little cocoa, and then only low-quality chocolate grown in monoculture systems that are doused with fertilizers and chemicals. Not great for the Earth or your waistline, since it is then mixed with a lot of extra sugar, unhealthy fats and artificial flavors.
What this does mean is that seeking out and enjoying a small to moderate quantity of organic, fair-trade (and raw, if you can find it) dark chocolate may very well assist your skin in protection and self-repair. While you will notice that this chocolate is a little more expensive (if you buy in bulk when it's on sale, it ends up costing about 10 to 20 percent more than conventional, processed candy), you need less of it and it lasts quite a while.
Once you get into trying and tasting real cacao, you will notice that chocolate from different regions tastes quite different, just like coffee -- a far cry from the generic, overly sweet taste of a Hershey bar.
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STARRE VARTAN, Mother Nature Network
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