Why Chocolate Is Associated With Acne

A study done at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands, involved collection of blood samples from seven participants before and after consuming exactly 48 g of chocolate on a daily basis. This was done consecutively for four days.

The chocolate that was eaten had approximately 30% cocoa. The blood cells collected were exposed to bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes.

These bacteria are supposedly a contributory factor for developing acne when they grow inside clogged pores. When such takes place, the pores become inflamed. It then ends up in the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, another type of skin bacteria that could worsen acne.

The blood cells created more interleukin-1b after the participants had chocolate. Interleukin-1b is described as a marker of immune system inflammation when they were exposed to Propionibacterium acnes.

The scientists claimed that these findings indicated that eating chocolate may boost the inflammation which can contribute to acne. Chocolate eating also gave a boost to production of another immune system factor, known as interleukin 10, after having been exposed to Staphylococcus aureus, according to a report at MyHealthNewsDaily.

Interleukin 10 supposedly lowers the immunity against microorganisms. That said, higher levels of interleukin 10 may lead to conditions that would allow bacteria to infect pimples, and aggravate them, said the researchers.

In spite of the many talks about chocolate and some other foods that are associated with acne, little is known as evidence to display they actually cause acne, said Dr. Kanade Shinkai, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, who has acne treatments as specialty.

Nevertheless, past studies have shown that high-glycemic foods, such as white bread, could be linked to acne. This is because they release sugar into the bloodstream quickly. While the acne problems of some people are impacted by diet, others’ acne issues are not influenced by diet at all.

This research was published in the journal Cytokine.