This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I will never recommend any products that I don't believe in. Please read my Disclosure for more info.

Okay, so here’s some really fantastic news; eating chocolate may actually help guard against skin cancer, protecting your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.  Pretty great news, right?

German studies have shown that consuming dark chocolate, which is rich in cocoa solids and flavonoids, may help protect your skin against skin cancer.  Their study included 24 women who added cocoa to their breakfasts every day for 3 months.

Half of the women drank hot cocoa containing large quantities of flavonoids.  The remaining 12 women used a cocoa that looked and tasted like the previous cocoa but actually lacked the flavonoids.

The women underwent assessments before partaking in the experiment and then again after the 3 month duration.  One of the tests exposed each woman’s skin to marginally more UV (ultra violet) light than she had been exposed to in the beginning of the study to see how her skin would react to the added harmful rays.

They reported that the skin of the 12 women who received the flavonoid dense cocoa didn’t redden nearly as much as the skin of the remaining 12 women who drank the cocoa lacking in flavonoids.

They also noted that the women who drank the flavonoid rich cocoa experienced smoother and better hydrated skin than did their counterparts.

Not only does dark chocolate contain healthy flavonoids that protect your skin from the sun, but it is also a very powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from free radical attacks that can wreak havoc on our skin cells resulting in premature aging.

So, go ahead and enjoy that luscious chocolate bar that teases you from across the room and feel peace in knowing that you are doing something great for your skin.