How did a link between chocolate and pimples come to be? From what I can tell by reading some of the history behind chocolate health myths is that people assumed that acne was caused by eating too much fat and since chocolate has a high fat content, chocolate caused acne.
While I find this sort of logic laughable, plenty of 1950’s dermatology books put it in print as fact.
Over the years, many foods have been blamed for certain ailments and afflictions. Chocolate has been singled out to cause such things as tooth decay, acne, obesity, and depression. But chocolate by itself doesn’t cause these problems. No single food does.
Much research has been done on chocolate and its impact on one’s health. And unless you massively over do it, chocolate is harmless.
Chocolate does not cause pimples. Research has never been able to identify any components of chocolate that either trigger acne or make existing acne worse.
There are factors that play a role in the cause of acne outbreaks but chocolate is not one of them. Things like heredity, skin type, hormones, and toxins in the environment have a greater influence on acne issues than the foods we eat.
Sometimes people confuse acne with an allergic reaction to a food or food ingredient.
The ironic news is that stress has been identified as an aggravator of acne and chocolate may counteract that process. Chocolate stimulates the serotonin levels in the brain producing a calming affect which in turn relieves stress and restrains acne flare ups.
So it may be more scientific to state that chocolate is a potential cure for acne. I like the sound of that!
Perhaps the days of blaming chocolate for bad skin are coming to an end.
We can hope.
