OF COURSE we love any good news about chocolate, but this takes the gluten-free cookie! Health benefits of chocolate have been no stranger to the news lately–from heart health to immune-boosting–but protecting against skin cancer? That’s a new one. But it makes sense. The antioxidants in rich-colored foods eaten before sun exposure have been shown to help prevent sun damage. So yes, it works from the inside out–but by all means, we’re total advocates of pouring chocolate all over yourself when the mood strikes!
Eating Chocolate Will Protect You From Skin Cancer, GirlieGirlArmy
Surprising Skin Cancer Protector and Defender of DNA Damage: Dark Chocolate and Cruciferous Veggies! Talia Fuhrman shares her newest (and most favorite) summer food discovery:
I am a totally foodie. That is, a health food foodie. I love food and I like mine nutrient packed and flavor rich. That being said, I have a reputation for loving dark chocolate. It’s a bite sized dose of heaven on my tongue and it’s fits my bill of nutritious yet oh so delicious. I also have a reputation for loving kale chips and green drinks (as in the healthy, non-alcoholic kind). Turns out these food preferences work in my favor now that warm weather is here and the sun is shinning its rays on us more frequently.
It appears that dark chocolate, with it’s abundant supply of antioxidants and these totally kick-ass nutrients called flavonoids, can help us ward off skin damage from the sun’s rays just as fruits and veggies do. A study conducted by German researchers at Heinrich-Heine University found that women who drank a dark chocolate hot cocoa, versus a “chocolate” placebo beverage devoid of flavonoids, had smoother and moister skin compared to those drinking the placebo beverage. Upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, the skin of the women drinking the dark chocolate hot cocoa did not become as red, which is an indication of skin damage. The women who drank the high-flavonoid cocoa had a 15 percent less skin reddening from UV light after 6 weeks of hot chocolate drinking and 25 percent less after 12 weeks on the trial. The women drank the cocoa drink once every day along with breakfast. Okay, I officially adore this study.
Read the rest of the article by clicking here.
