No, no, and once again, no! Greasy food does not give you oily skin, and eating chocolate will not cause you to get more or fewer pimples. It’s time to bust these persistent myths once and for all!
Of course, candy, snacks, and fast food should be consumed in moderation regardless, but not to avoid acne. The oil from chocolate, fries, chips, and other greasy foods does not seep out through your pores. It travels to your stomach and is processed in the intestines just like any other nutrient.
In one study, a group of students with acne-prone skin were asked to eat two chocolate bars per day for a month. What they didn’t know was that only half of the test group received real chocolate with a high cocoa content. The other half were given artificially flavored "chocolate bars" with an extra high concentration of vegetable fat. This allowed researchers to also examine the effect of a high-fat diet on the skin. The result? The chocolate had no significant impact on the test subjects' skin whatsoever. And there was no major difference between the two groups either.
There is no scientific evidence linking diet to acne, so why do these myths persist? The explanation likely lies in subconscious associations. Most people who have tried to drown their worries in chocolatey treats can attest that pimples tend to appear a few days after a major chocolate binge, but not for the reason they might think.
If you feel that your acne worsens after eating a lot of chocolate, it’s easy to blame that massive chocolate bar you indulged in a few days ago. However, it’s actually more likely that the anxiety attack that triggered the binge eating also contributed to the acne breakout. The ingrained guilt and self-judgment over indulging in chocolate in the first place may have made things even worse. The hormones produced by the body during stress have been shown to contribute to acne, if you have the genetic predisposition. The chocolate itself, however, plays no role in the process.
So, if you love chocolate, you can enjoy it guilt-free, whether you have acne-prone skin or not. Since cocoa beans contain compounds that stimulate the brain’s pleasure center, a chocolate bar might just be the perfect remedy when your mood needs a boost. And knowing that it won’t affect your skin can even help reduce stress levels and lower the risk of an acne breakout.
