Feb. 8, 2011 (New Orleans) -- What your mother always told you may be true after all: Chocolate may make acne worse, a small preliminary study suggests.
Young men who ate up to 8 ounces of chocolate saw their average number of pimples skyrocket from fewer than four to as many as 70.
And the more chocolate they ate, the more they broke out -- a finding that further supports the idea that the worsening of acne was due to eating the chocolate, says study researcher Samantha Block, a second-year medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
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http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-tre...make-acne-worse
"Previous studies looking at chocolate and acne used sweetened chocolate that contained sugar, milk, and other ingredients that themselves can aggravate the skin condition, says researcher Caroline Caperton, MD, MSPH, senior clinical research fellow in dermatology at the University of Miami.
The fact that the current study used unadulterated chocolate, made of 100% cocoa, is a major advantage, she says.
Some of the ingredients in pure chocolate that might exacerbate acne are caffeine and its cousin theobromine, which is known to have pore-clogging properties, Caperton tells WebMD."
I will have to say that I have experienced breakouts from 90% dark chocolate bars with very, very little sugar. I knew it aggravated my acne, but I thought that it was maybe just an allergic reaction, since chocolate supposedly wasn't supposed to cause acne.
But I definitely noticed a connection for myself.
why isnt there a link to the study ??
The article stated at the end:
These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.
So, they are saying that they all got pimples from this? Every one of them? Even those that had only 4 oz? And the new pimples appeared within 4 days?
Because I am very acne prone, but with my diet and lifestyle habits I've cleared and mostly kept my skin clear. And I have chocolate pretty much everyday. I have a tablespoon of plain pure cocoa powder which contains the caffeine and theobromine. And I have some low sugar bittersweet chocolate that is not pure, and probably not more than 1 oz. But again, I do this every day.
Also, the article says they ate it in one sitting. So, there's the binge-eating factor to consider. How many calories are in 4-8 oz of pure chocolate. And what do they mean by pure chocolate?
They got these people to eat pure chocolate? So many people can't even deal with dark chocolate of not necessarily high cacao percentage. As much as they wanted, eh? How much did the want?
Processed chocolate bars always broke me out but the chocolate I make doesn't. Check it out, its very easy to make and doesn't break me out. Some say it is very intense, but I LOVE it. This isn't my recipe btw.
1 cup Virgin Coconut oil, melted
1 cup WonderCocoa This is a caffeine free cocoa powder. If you cant find it that is fine, just use Hersheys or whatever you can find. Just check the lables for added ingrediants.
Pinch of Sea Salt
1-2 Tablespoons of Stevia Plus + 1/4-1/2 Teaspoon Kal Stevia (I just use a little more than 1 tbsp regular stevia, adjust to your taste)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (I always add the vanilla) or Almond or Peppermint or whatever creation you want to try. I will sometimes use vanilla and a bit of coconut flavoring. You need to find a brand that doesnt contain any sugar and if possible no alcohol, it will feed the yeast (this chocolate was originally created for those on a candida diet, hence the yeast).
Extras you can add if you would like (I ALWAYS add maybe a cup or a little less of unsweetened shredded coconut, it adds a little more coconut taste and thickens the chocolate so it doesn't melt as quick. Also it makes more with less coconut oil and cocoa and both those can be expensive.)
Chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, almonds. About 2 handfulls is what I do.
Nuc or melt oil in glass bowl or pan on stove on low. Mix the coconut oil and cocoa together in a large bowl. Blend well and no lumps remain. Warming the oil help alot. Add the sea salt, flavoring and stevia/s and mix well. Make sure you mix well as the stevia is sometimes hard to mix all over. If the mixture gets a bit stiff it could be cooling down to quickly so just pop it in the microwave slightly so it will be pourable.
Spread out onto a lightly sprayed sheet or cover it will foil or plastic wrap that is the same size as the pan. This will help it come out of the pan better. Now a cookie sheet will make a thin chocolate but if you use a 13x9 pan it will make it much thicker. Freeze this mixture for about 1/2 hour or so depending on the thickness. Break into pieces and put them into freezer bag or container and keep frozen.
To break the thicker batch into pieces I use a kitchen mallet and knife.
I know all kinds of people who eat chocolate who don't have acne.
I know, I know..."it only affects those who are prone to acne"...whatever. Let's just look at all the things people claim causes acne:
-Dairy
-Meat
-Carbs
-Sugars
-Chocolate
There goes basically the entire food pyramid. Oh wait, you can still eat fruits and vegetables. Woo hoo. Good luck getting enough calories and not keeling over from exhaustion and hunger on your non-dairy, non-meat, low-carb, no sugar/chocolate diet.
Keep in mind, food is the best thing in life. I'll take the worst acne in the world and being able to eat whatever I want over having perfect skin and having to give up things I enjoy eating.
OK BSDetector you start with saying the most ignorant statement ever: "I know all kinds of people who eat chocolate who don't have acne. " And say whatever to a very good response to your BS claim. You dont give an argument. You just say whatever. Basically: I dont care.
Then you sum up things people say that causes acne (not that the majority claims that meat causes acne). And say there is nothing left to eat. Whatever that argument is worth. Then you say exhaustion and hunger. Well ehm you can eat enough easily on a fruit based diet. (If you would want). And ps there are no eggs and fish on your list.
Then you give us a personal argument that you dont think its worth the effort. Saying like it should apply to anyone and that we should be ashamed to post these kind of things. What is that for twisted idea? Why cant anyone deside for themselfs if they find it worth their effort. Why would your opinion make this treath less worth full?
ps. There are studies that show a correlation between diet and acne. Whats your response to that? Also whatever, I dont care.
Can sugar cause acne? NO! Refined sugar is known to bring the immune system down for a couple hours but its impossible for it to cause Acne.
Well:
Insulin like Growth Factor Binding Protein -3 (IGFBP-3)
You now have the background to understand how the glycemic load works
and how highly glycemic foods adversely influence your blood insulin levels.
From Chapter 4, you know that one of the very first steps involved in the
formation of the closed comedo is the blockage of the follicle by overly adherent
corneocytes that form rough scales. You also know that corneocytes become
overly cohesive to one another because there is a delay in, or impairment of,
apoptosis (programmed cell death) in keratinocytes that prevents the
desmosomes from disintegrating at the proper time. One of the most important
hormones in the body that influences apoptosis is called IGFBP-3 (insulin like
growth factor binding protein 3). Higher blood concentrations of IGFBP-3
accelerate apoptosis, whereas lower levels inhibit apoptosis. So, in order for the
keratinocytes to get their timing right and die on time, the blood concentration of
IGFBP-3 needs to fall into the right range.
Insulin is a master hormone and what it does influences almost all other
hormones in the body, either directly or indirectly. High levels of insulin will
reduce circulating levels of IGFBP-3, so when you eat high glycemic load carbs
all day long, your blood concentrations of IGFBP-3 are going to fall, thereby
delaying apoptosis in the keratinocytes lining the follicle. The delay in apoptosis
partially prevents the desmosomes from fully disintegrating.
Insulin like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1)
But there is more to it than just IGFBP-3 when it comes to hormones that
can influence mechanisms that can block the pore. Once again, because insulin
is a master hormone, it also affects another hormone called free IGF-1 (insulin
like growth factor 1) which also is involved in the process that forms closed
comedones. For virtually all cells in the body, free IGF-1 is a potent stimulator of
cell growth and proliferation (formation). High levels of insulin in your
bloodstream can cause blood levels of free IGF-1 to rise. Remember from
Chapter 4 that the overly adherent corneocytes that ultimately block the pore
develop from excessively proliferating keratinocytes deeper down in the epithelial
cells lining the follicle. So, high glycemic load carbs elevate insulin. Insulin in
turn elevates free IGF-1. Free IGF-1 may stimulate the overproduction of
keratinocytes, which eventually develop into the corneocytes, which eventually
block the opening of the follicle. I will shortly show you how other dietary
elements also promote excessive keratinocyte proliferation.
One final note on the IGF-1/ IGFBP-3 story: hormones do not act singly
but rather like a symphony orchestra in which we hear the sum total of all
instruments. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 can bind one another at the surface of cells.
When they do this, it impairs the action of IGFBP-3, which normally promotes
apoptosis or cell death. When keratinocytes dont die on time, it promotes acne.
So the binding of IGF-1 to IGFBP-3 is not a good thing for acne sufferers
because as with high glycemic load carbs, it, in effect, reduces IGFBP-3.
Dietary elements are known to promote IGF-1 to IGFBP-3 binding. IGF-1
and IGFBP-3 are more likely to bind one another when high concentrations of a
substance called aoetransglutaminasea appear at cell surfaces. In certain people,
consumption of wheat or any food made from wheat can cause increased
transglutaminase to be produced by various cells throughout the body.
So, high glycemic load foods composed of refined grains made from
wheat, may do double damage a they reduce IGFBP-3 production in the liver
from their high glycemic load, and they impair IGFBP-s utilization within cells by
increasing the likelihood of it binding to IGF-1 rather than to keratinocytes.
and:
The second major proximate cause of acne is the over production ofsebum (oil) by the sebaceous glands within the pilosebaceous unit. It is well
established that excessive male hormones (androgens) in the bloodstream of
both males and females can trigger the sebaceous gland to produce too much
sebum. But the essential question is how do androgens get elevated in the first
place?
High glycemic load carbs and dairy products set into play a hormonal
cascade (elevated insulin, elevated IGF-1 and reduced SHBG) that causes
increases in blood levels of androgens in both men and women. It is this
increase in blood levels of the male hormone which directly causes the
sebaceous glands to produce too much oil.
source: dietary cure for acne - loren cordain
well fuk! i so far allways thought i can at least make raw chocolate from pure cocoa powder, but now even that no? blehh..
@lee1234
everything else?
other myths like not washing and M'bating ( "boys sexy time") doesn't make acne worst, this has been drilled into my head by my older, never had acne in my entire life, cousins so I hope that eventually this "myth" will also be proven wrong eventually because acne, be it adult or adolescent, is a subject that I wish was looked further into and given a little more importance in the world of scientific studies :/
OK BSDetector you start with saying the most ignorant statement ever: "I know all kinds of people who eat chocolate who don't have acne. " And say whatever to a very good response to your BS claim. You dont give an argument. You just say whatever. Basically: I dont care.
An ignorant claim? How so?
I DO know many people who eat chocolate and don't have acne. That stems from this thing called "knowledge," not "ignorance."
And yes, my response to the idea that chocolate makes acne worse essentially amounts to, "who cares?" Chocolate isn't the cause of acne. And chocolate isn't the only thing linked to "exacerbating acne."
Pretty much every food in existence has been at one time or another linked to worsening the condition. What does that tell you?
Then you sum up things people say that causes acne (not that the majority claims that meat causes acne). And say there is nothing left to eat. Whatever that argument is worth. Then you say exhaustion and hunger. Well ehm you can eat enough easily on a fruit based diet. (If you would want). And ps there are no eggs and fish on your list.
Actually, numerous types of sea food have been linked to worsening acne as well.
It's laughable that you think you can "easily eat enough" on a fruit based diet. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
Then you give us a personal argument that you dont think its worth the effort. Saying like it should apply to anyone and that we should be ashamed to post these kind of things. What is that for twisted idea? Why cant anyone deside for themselfs if they find it worth their effort. Why would your opinion make this treath less worth full?
That paragraph gives me a headache.
ps. There are studies that show a correlation between diet and acne. Whats your response to that? Also whatever, I dont care.
My response is twofold:
1. Correlation does not imply causation. Something apparently 99% of this forum fails to understand.
2. Numerous studies link numerous different food groups to acne to the point where there's nothing left to eat. I wouldn't give up a single food group to "cure" my acne. Food is better than sex. Acne is a mere nuisance.
What I love about ignorant youngsters like BS Detector is that they think they can swoop in and save the day. His immaturity really shows. Go do your "homework".
The sebaceous gland ONLY releases fatty acids. Can sugar cause acne? NO! Refined sugar is known to bring the immune system down for a couple hours but its impossible for it to cause Acne. For all those that ignored my post; your loss. Acne is only the beginning, than comes heart disease with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes and the finale is Cancer.
Enjoy your life and when you get Cancer. Remember who told you so.
Ignorant youngsters? I'm 26. I've probably had acne for about as long as you've been alive.
Sugar intake has been linked to acne through the insulin spike it causes, which in turn affects the androgenic hormones that stimulate the production of sebum. You clearly do not understand biological processes.
I might very well get cancer. Then again, everybody is getting it these days. The difference is, when I get my cancer, I'll know I enjoyed eating whatever I wanted and didn't waste my time avoiding the most enjoyable thing in life...eating all the foods I actually like. You, on the other hand...best case scenario is you avoid cancer and die of something a little less painful at an older age, while living a dull life without meat, dairy, grains, chocolate, or sugar.
Worst case scenario is you get cancer anyway and are kicking yourself for not enjoying actually GOOD food while you still could.
But hey, when you get YOUR cancer, you can always "cure" it by giving yourself coffee enemas and eating tropical fruits. Remember, every single disease there is can be cured naturally, and humans will live forever if they just buy your $29.99 book on how to do it the natural way. Also, be sure to check out the clinics in Tijuana...with starting low prices of $1,499. You'll even throw in three free coffee enemas and some star fruit.
2. Numerous studies link numerous different food groups to acne to the point where there's nothing left to eat.
There is plenty left to eat. And not only will you improve your acne, you will be improving all aspects of health preventing/reducing/reversing all kinds of health conditions you may not even realize you are developing. Because the diet that's good for acne is the way humans were meant to eat.
Visit the Nutrition board and you find tons of people who cleared their skin via diet and lifestyle changes. And we enjoy our diets and health and look forward to a long healthy life while the majority of the people around us become sickly and decrepit.
Genetics only counts for a percentage of your likelihood to develop acne, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, etc. The rest is what you do to yourself. It's mostly what you do to yourself.
But I do agree that this chocolate study or at least the conclusions they draw from it are flawed. Some people are very sensitive to caffeine and breakout from any amount of it. And some people may have an intolerance that may cause them to break out. But other than those things, it's usually the glycemic impact, which does affect everyone. But they say there's no sugar in this 'pure chocolate.' And they say every one of those people had increased breakouts.
It could be the glycemic impact of binge eating. And maybe chocolate is very insulinemic
So cocoa is very insulinemic. I still haven't found a score for 'pure chocolate', but here's a study on cocoa:
Cocoa Powder Increases Postprandial Insulinemia in Lean Young Adults
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/10/3149.full
So I think it's possible the breakouts may be due to binge eating a very insulinemic food which would screw up hormones as much as high glycemic diets. But there's still the issue with how fast the breakouts occurred according to the article.
The amino acids leucine, valine, lysine, and isoleucine are insulinogenic proteins, and theyare high in diary, highest in whey. And cocoa seems to be high in those, I guess.:
this is for 1 oz/28g of plain cocoa: A tablespoon would be 5 grams.
Protein
5.5
g
11%
Isoleucine
213
mg
Leucine
333
mg
Lysine
275
mg
Valine
330
mg
Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets...2#ixzz1F7Glgvs6
This is the protein breakout for 3 oz of Cod to compare:
Protein
19.4
g
39%
Isoleucine
894
mg
Leucine
1578
mg
Lysine
1783
mg
Valine
999
mg
Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfis...2#ixzz1F7GGF74m
I guess we cant eat 70%+ pure chocolate anymore... Cocoa in smoothies neither.
ps. alternate I dont know if they forgot to meassure omega 3's but it might also be that the ratio of omega3s and omega6s are screwed up besides the insulinemic response... And caffeine/Theobromine might be doing something with stress. (Although some studies show caffeine can improve liver function, at least in reasonable amounts.)
^^ hey but there was alot of that trypthopan in it, which improves mood right?? so its thats y chocolate/cocoa gives u good moods?
does someone knows if sugary stuffs also contain alot of this tryptophan (also thyrosine?)?
if so then i understand y cocoa+sugar=chocolate=happy face
buut which thing exactly from all that list is whats bad for acne? :/