# Chocolate worsens your complexion, water clears it. True? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129 "2003-11-13T23:13:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colinmarshall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Colinmarshall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colinmarshall)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/1 "2003-11-13T23:13:30Z")
I’ve heard from a great many sources that drinking copious amounts of water (which I do) fends off acne and other skin issues. These sources also tell me that eating chocolate will do the exact opposite, M&Ms and Snickers bars forming a trail that heads straight to dating limbo. Is there much scientific basis for this? (You know, other than the dating part.) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/2 "2003-11-13T23:24:17Z")
Untrue. Dehydration may worsen some acne problems, but pushing fluids is not generally preventive. There is no good causative link between chocolate and increased acne incidence. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/3 "2003-11-14T01:11:32Z")
Increasing your fluid intake causes your kidneys, etc., to work harder, causing more toxins to be removed from your body. That’s why your urine becomes less colourful when you drink a lot. Green indicates lots of chemicals (my medication), yellow = Vitamin B, red = beetroot, and so forth. Is acne caused by toxins? Dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/4 "2003-11-14T01:20:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boofy\_bloke \* > Increasing your fluid intake causes your kidneys, etc., to work harder, causing more toxins to be removed from your body. That’s why your urine becomes less colourful when you drink a lot. I don’t get it. Wouldn’t toxins being removed from the body result in _more_ colorful urine? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/5 "2003-11-14T01:28:58Z")
I had bad acne as a teenager. The skin specialist I saw told me that my long hair and my diet had nothing to do with my acne but water would cure it. He told me to wash my face regularly and vigorously with a wet face washer - water only, no soap or cleansers. It worked in a few months. ---
**Author:** ![gcarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@gcarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gcarroll)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/6 "2003-11-14T01:36:59Z")
Chocolate, applied correctly, can actually improve the dating part. The trick is to offer it to the girl. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/7 "2003-11-14T02:16:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boofy\_bloke \* > **Increasing your fluid intake causes your kidneys, etc., to work harder, causing more toxins to be removed from your body. That’s why your urine becomes less colourful when you drink a lot. Green indicates lots of chemicals (my medication), yellow = Vitamin B, red = beetroot, and so forth.** Untrue. Kidneys will filter whatever toxins they will, as long as they are perfused enough to filter at all. Forcing large amounts of fluids in an effort to _detoxify_ oneself does nothing to enhance the process. And urine is less colorful after one drinks lots of fluids because the urine is more dilute. Many substances can colorize urine. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/8 "2003-11-14T02:36:09Z")
Question-granted, certain foods do not cause acne or zits. However, could it be that the better one eats, the healthier one’s skin might be? Not a direct cause, but sort of indirect? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/9 "2003-11-14T02:41:53Z")
Diet may matter. > [@](#): > > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Calling into question the current medical belief that diet does not affect acne, a new report suggests that regularly eating breads, cakes, chips and other staples of Western culture may promote the skin condition. > Dr. Loren Cordain, a professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and colleagues arrived at their conclusion after studying two non-Westernized populations: the Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea and the Ache hunter-gatherers of Paraguay. > > In the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology, the study authors report that they found no evidence of acne among 1,200 Kitavan Islanders aged 10 or older, including 300 of them between 15 and 25. They ate primarily fruit, fish, tubers and coconut but almost no cereals or refined sugars. > > The researchers also saw no acne among 115 Ache hunter-gatherers, including 15 aged 15 to 25. Their diet consisted mostly of the root vegetable sweet manioc, peanuts, maize and rice, as well as some wild game. About 8% of their diet was made up of Western foods such as pasta, sugar and bread. Previous studies also have found that acne is rare or nonexistent in people living in non-industrialized cultures but tends to appear when they transition to a Western way of life, the report indicates. > > In Western cultures, studies have indicated that acne affects 79% to 95% of adolescents and persists into middle age in 12% of women and 3% of men. > > While genetic factors are known to play a role in acne, the authors point out that other groups of Pacific Islanders and South American Indians who live in more Westernized settings have higher rates of acne. Much more to the article here: [http://www.raysahelian.com/acne.html](http://www.raysahelian.com/acne.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/10 "2003-11-14T02:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Question-granted, certain foods do not cause acne or zits. \*\* While I know that this is the general rule, I have found that eating Domino’s pizza causes me to invariably breakout in zits in 1-2 days. I’m sure it is some type of allergy or something. It could be that the same thing might happen to _some_ people with chocolate, right? ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/11 "2003-11-14T04:44:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gcarroll \* > \*\*Chocolate, applied correctly, can actually improve the dating part. The trick is to offer it to the girl. \*\* Depends. Sometimes the trick is to lick it off the girl. By then, who cares who has acne? When I was in high school and older friend of mine recommended applying Aqua Velva every morning to get rid of zits. It worked for me. I’m guessing it dried them up. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/12 "2003-11-14T14:49:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Chocolate, applied correctly, can actually improve the dating part. > The trick is to offer it to the girl. > — gcarroll > [@](#): > > Candy > is dandy. > > But liquor > is quicker. > — Ogden Nash Disclaimer: the above posts express the personal opinions of those quoted, and do not necessarily represent the views of QuercusCorp, it’s subsidiaries, or its employees. No endorsement of the facts, attitudes, opinions, or rhymes in the above posts is implied by QuercusCorp or any of its representatives. QuercusCorp maintains no responsibility for any emotional, romantic, social or skin-tone- or liver- related damage caused by following the opinions expressed in the quoted material. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/13 "2003-11-14T16:57:49Z")
At age 42 I finally realized that consuming **nuts** was what had been causing all the zits which I had been afflicted with previously. Nuts _do_ contain quite a lot of oil. Peanuts and almonds are the worst. Walnuts seem to be almost benign. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/14 "2003-11-14T21:11:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*I don’t get it. Wouldn’t toxins being removed from the body result in _more_ colorful urine? \*\* I’ll leave whether or not more fluids remove more toxins, but clearer urine comes from dilution. Keep yourself very hydrated, and you’ll be pissing clear in no time. -Joe, brought down by the iodine in colas… ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chocolate-worsens-your-complexion-water-clears-it-true/213129/15 "2003-11-15T02:01:29Z")
More WATER = clearer urine. More diuretics (e.g. caffeine) = clearer urine. More toxins (i.e. anything your body decides to get rid of) = more colourful urine. Smell is also directly related to colour. I’m not even going to comment on taste or texture.