Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSC. Participating women, aged 57-73, who drank a cacao beverage containing 300 mg of cacao for 6 months, saw a significant 8% reduction in skin roughness and a significant 10% improvement in skin elasticity compared to the control group of women.
Cosmetics are a $56 billion per year industry in the United States 1, with skin health cosmetics as a substantial portion. Their goal is to maintain skin health in the form of preventing wrinkles and maintain skin elasticity.
For people who are looking for natural ways to maintain skin health, an effective treatment is cocoa. Known to benefit blood pressure 2,3, insulin resistance 4, blood lipids 5, obesity 6, and cognitive performance 7, research also suggests that cocoa may benefit skin health. A 2016 study 8 involved 62 women aged 57 to 73. They were given either a cocoa beverage containing 320 milligrams of cocoa or a placebo drink each day for 24 weeks. Before and after the study, researchers measured wrinkles, skin elasticity, and hydration with instruments called a visiometer, cutometer, and corneometer that have been used in previous research 9,10.
After 24 weeks, the following differences were noted between the two groups:
| Cocoa Group | Placebo | p - value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Roughness | 6.4% decrease | 1.6% increase | < 0.05 |
| Maximum Roughness | 0.69 % decrease | 8% increase | < 0.05 |
| Elasticity | 5.9% increase | 4.1% decrease | < 0.05 |
No significant differences were noted between the two groups regarding skin hydration (p > 0.05).
The researchers cited antioxidants called flavanols (of which epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins are the main flavanols in cocoa 7) as being responsible for the skin-benefiting effects in the study. They concluded that “In moderately photo-aged women, regular cocoa flavanol consumption had positive effects on facial wrinkles and elasticity” and that “Cocoa flavanol supplementation may contribute to the prevention of the progression of photo-aging.”
Source: Yoon HS. Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation Influences Skin Conditions of Photo-Aged Women: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Nutr 2016 Jan; 146(1):46-50. doi: 10.3945/jn.115.217711. Epub 2015 Nov 18
© 2016 American Society for Nutrition
Posted August 3, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- Portal S. Facts on the Cosmetic Industry.
- Hooper L, Kay C, Abdelhamid A, et al. Effects of chocolate, cocoa, and flavan-3-ols on cardiovascular health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95(3):740-751.
- Desch S, Schmidt J, Kobler D, et al. Effect of cocoa products on blood pressure: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Hypertens. 2010;23(1):97-103.
- Desideri G, Kwik-Uribe C, Grassi D, et al. Benefits in cognitive function, blood pressure, and insulin resistance through cocoa flavanol consumption in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment: the Cocoa, Cognition, and Aging (CoCoA) study. Hypertension. 2012;60(3):794-801.
- Tokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djousse L. Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(8):879-886.
- Farhat G, Drummond S, Fyfe L, Al-Dujaili EA. Dark chocolate: an obesity paradox or a culprit for weight gain? Phytother Res. 2014;28(6):791-797.
- Field DT, Williams CM, Butler LT. Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in an acute improvement in visual and cognitive functions. Physiol Behav. 2011;103(3-4):255-260.
- Yoon HS, Kim JR, Park GY, et al. Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation Influences Skin Conditions of Photo-Aged Women: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Nutr. 2016;146(1):46-50.
- De Paepe K, Lagarde JM, Gall Y, Roseeuw D, Rogiers V. Microrelief of the skin using a light transmission method. Arch Dermatol Res. 2000;292(10):500-510.
- Yoon HS, Cho HH, Cho S, Lee SR, Shin MH, Chung JH. Supplementating with dietary astaxanthin combined with collagen hydrolysate improves facial elasticity and decreases matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -12 expression: a comparative study with placebo. J Med Food. 2014;17(7):810-816.
