COCOA PROTECTS, IMPROVES SKIN.

According to new German research published in the Journal of Nutrition, ingestion of high-flavonol cocoa led to increases in blood flow of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, decreases in roughness and scaling, and increases in skin density, thickness and skin hydration whereas none of these variables was affected in the low-flavanol group. For 12 weeks, two groups of women consumed either a high-flavanol or low-flavanol cocoa powder dissolved in 100 mL water. The researchers concluded high dietary flavanols from cocoa contribute to endogenous photoprotection, improve dermal blood circulation, and affect cosmetically relevant skin surface and hydration variables. (Natural Products Insider, May 23, 2006)