Does Chocolate Cause Acne?

I have to admit chocolate has always been my number one guilty pleasure all year round. There’s just nothing more satisfying that eating a piece of chocolate and letting it melt in your mouth and then chewing it!  For a long time it was common knowledge that eating chocolate would cause acne and it was advised never to eat It , if you want clearer skin. But can eating chocolate actually cause acne or is it simply just a myth?

Well the good news is that eating chocolate does ‘’NOT’’, I repeat does not cause acne breakouts. In fact majority of the research found no clear correlation between the two and all the studies were either too small or they were poorly conducted. Also the researchers knew very little about the patient’s lifestyle habits and diet. Thus it is difficult to determine the link between chocolate and acne. On top of that it was stated  in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Minkin W, et al., 1970) that “diet plays no role in acne treatment in most patients…even large amounts of chocolate have not clinically exacerbated acne.’’

But that doesn’t mean you should eat chocolate all the time. Why? Well new studies have found that foods high in GI (glycemic index) such as pasta, sugary foods (milk chocolate) and white bread can worsen acne but does not necessarily cause acne.  Majority of the chocolate in today’s supermarkets contain high content of milk and sugar which may increase the body’s sebum production and can trigger these oils to clog up and cause inflammation.  Having said that, it can be difficult to establish what foods cause acne as everyone reacts differently to certain foods. For some people dairy and sugary foods can cause acne spots and for others nothing seems to happen.

For those people who suffer from acne try to track your food, write down a list of which foods you may think that cause you outbreaks and even try to cut certain foods to see how your skin reacts. Personally I stopped drinking milk for 3 weeks and notice a huge difference in my skin. And for those chocoholics out there I would suggest opting for the good kind of dark chocolate (in moderation of course) instead of  milk or white as dark chocolate  holds high amounts antioxidants, magnesium, copper and iron which is beneficial for the skin and has less sugar and milk.

I’m also a big believer that beauty on the outside begins naturally on the inside. So try to incorporate a good balance diet (lots of dark greenly vegetables and colourful fruits) and life style which can give you glowing and smooth skin. And if you find yourself doing all these things and nothing seems to be working for you I recommend SkinB5’s skincare products they genuinely treat and manage all types of acne the natural way!

So there you have it, I hope this was helpful and you all enjoyed reading this, if you have any questions please contact us on [email protected] and remember to drink plenty water. Your skin will love you for it!

References Used:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/myths/chocolate-bad-for-skin.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/does-chocolate-cause-acne_n_1566076.html

Farah’s Bio
Farah has been using SkinB5 for two years now. She is an advocate for natural and organic beauty products, healthy living and a self-proclaimed whole foods enthusiast.  Her passion for health and beauty stems from her personal experiences dealing with problematic skin and now she wants to help others learn her secrets to flawless skin from the inside, out.