Does Chocolate Cause Acne? Ask an Integrative Dermatologist!

he old timers use to believe that chocolate was related to acne. Someone came along in the 1960's and did a study and showed that chocolate did not cause acne. That study was part of Harvard dermatology resident bibliography.

And so the training programs all over the country in the early 70's taught those residents; taught those dermatologists in training that acne had nothing to do with chocolate. Which was of course a great news for all kids because people love chocolate. The problem is, that acne can be aggravated by chocolate in a significant number of people. And so for a generation or so we used antibiotics to suppress the acne that was being caused by the chocolate. In the past a dozen years or so somebody came along and re-examined that study and showed that, that it was not true. The conclusions were not based on sound data, and that there is some aggravation of acne by chocolate.

Now it could be for several different reasons. It could be from the chocolate, it could be because a lot of chocolate is milk chocolate, and some people react to milk. And it also could be because of the amount of sugar, and also because people who are eating chocolate are eating other sweats with sugar in it. So there are a number of things that tie chocolate eating to acne. So it's important nowadays for people who have acne to seriously consider removing chocolate from their diet and seeing if that makes a difference.

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Thank you for being honest. On this subject honesty and facts are rarely present. I can NOT eat chocolate candy bars, chocolate milk or anything pretty much that has the word chocolate on it. I CAN eat nuts, dairy, greasey products, sugary products and so far ALL of the products that ppl say are in the candy and etc that supposedly cause the break outs with no negative effects whatsoever. To this day I do not know the ingredient that is causing the issue, I just know if it says chocolate, I will eat it and be broke out by the next day. Otherwise I can leave it alone and NEVER have a break out. I get so frustrated with ppl saying it is a myth. As yet, I have not got ONE person to make a bet with me. I always tell them "See, no issues at all, I will eat a chocolate candy bar of your choosing and by sometime tomorrow I will have a large bump." But there are no takers. I could get rich on that one. Again, I have NO idea the ingredient causing the issue, just that I cannot eat anything that has the work chocolate on it. Dark chocolate is not as bad, but I still have to eat it in fair moderation. For me, it is not a myth, it is a reality that I have lived with all my life. I am an older gentleman now and it has not changed at all. Thank you for the vid.