A New Tasty Way to Keep Your Skin Healthy

By Zoë Ruderman | Cosmopolitan – Wed, 22 Jun, 2011 2:04 PM EDT

How can you protect your skin this summer? Wear sunscreen, avoid tanning salons, and eat chocolate. Yes, it's true. Research published on the National Institute of Health site explains that subjects who regularly consumed 20 grams (about one bar) of certain kinds of chocolate every day over the course of three months were better protected from harmful UV effects than those who didn't eat the sweet treat.

The scientists believed that the added protection could be due to a compound found in cocoa called flavanols. But don't run to the vending machine quite yet because flavanols aren't present in all types of chocolate. In fact most candy bars are stripped of this healthy ingredient during manufacturing. The one exception is dark chocolate, specifically the kind labeled, "preserved with HF (high flavanol) levels".

While we love any excuse to eat more chocolate, it's important to remember that consuming this snack isn't enough to protect your skin from sun damage. Like we said at the beginning of this post, you have to use SPF and stay the hell out of tanning beds and booths if you really want to decrease your chances of developing wrinkles, moles, and skin cancer.

So go ahead, indulge in a sweet afternoon snack. And know that in addition to making you feel a little less miz at work, it's doing your body good.

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