Study Assessing the Effect of Chocolate Consumption in Subjects With A History of Acne Vulgaris

February 18, 2019 updated by: Robert S. Kirsner, University of Miami

Double Blind Placebo Controlled Study Assessing the Effect of Chocolate Consumption in Subjects With A History of Acne Vulgaris

The investigators conducted a recent pilot study and found a strong positive correlation between the consumption of 100% chocolate and acne exacerbation. However, this study had limitations including the lack of placebo and the small sample size. Although studies have been conducted assessing chocolate's effect on acne, no study has been done evaluating this effect using chocolate with 100% cocoa content in a double blind placebo controlled fashion. This study will analyze the difference in the number and type of acneiform lesions per subject at the different time points (Day 4 and Day 7) compared to baseline in order to increase the validity of the investigators results. In addition, the investigators will use unsweetened cocoa powder,12 rather than chocolate candy, which contains higher quantities of additive ingredients such as sugar and milk to avoid interference with the results and the possibility to establish or not an association between the unsweetened cocoa and an effect on acne.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
14

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
        • University of Miami

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Post-pubescent males between the ages of 18-35 with minimal facial acne lesions defined as no less than 1 comedone and/or papule and no more than 8 total comedones and papules at Screening/Baseline
  • Subjects who have no more than 2 papules at baseline
  • Subjects who have no facial pustules at Screening/Baseline
  • Subjects who have a history of facial acne vulgaris
  • Subjects with a score of 0 or 1 on the investigator's Global Assessment Scale (See Appendix A)
  • Subjects must sign an informed consent form
  • Subjects must remain in the South Florida area during the study
  • Volunteers in general good health
  • Volunteers on no over the counter or prescribed medication, including supplements
  • Subjects must be literate in the English language

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects of the female gender
  • Subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus
  • Subjects who have had allergic reactions to cocoa or gelatin
  • Subjects who have more than 8 total comedones and papules at Screening/Baseline
  • Subjects who have more than 2 papules at screening/baseline
  • Subjects who have one or more pustules and/or nodules at Screening/Baseline
  • Subjects with a history of taking anti-acne oral medication (i.e. isotretinoine) during the past six months
  • Subjects who have used any oral antibiotics in the past two weeks
  • Subjects currently applying any over-the-counter or prescribed anti-acne medication including, but not limited to, retinoic acid or benzoyl peroxide over the past six weeks
  • Subjects who have used facial topical or injectable steroids 6 weeks prior to screening/baseline and during the study
  • Subjects currently taking any over-the-counter or prescribed medication including but not limited to oral supplements, vitamin A, etc. over the past two weeks
  • Subjects who used systemic corticosteroids 6 weeks prior to screening/baseline or during the study
  • Subjects taking drugs known to be photosensitizers including, but not limited to, phenothiazines, amiodarone, quinine, thiazides, tetracyclines, sulphonamides, quinolones
  • Subjects who are expected to have excess sun exposure during the study
  • Subjects who will not be in the South Florida area during the study
  • Subjects who are diagnosed with obesity with a BMI of 30 or greater
  • Subjects who have a history of hypertriglyceridemia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: QUADRUPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: cocoa
unsweetened 100% cocoa (Ghirardelli)
Dietary supplement: 100% cocoa powder
A single-center, prospective, double blind, placebo controlled study will be conducted in which male subjects with very mild acne swallow capsules filled with either unsweetened 100% cocoa (Ghirardelli), hydrolyzed gelatin powder (Gelita), or a combination of the two, at baseline. The study team will fill the capsules with either 6 oz. of hydrolyzed gelatin, 6 oz. cocoa powder (Ghirardelli ©), or a 6 oz. combination of cocoa powder (Ghirardelli ©) and hydrolyzed gelatin, totaling 6oz using a capsule encapsulation sheet (holding 60 capsules that need to be filled each time). All subjects will ingest the same number of total capsules. Evaluations will be performed using clinical assessments 4 days and 7 days after baseline evaluations (+/- 1 days).
Other Names:
  • 100% cocoa powder (Ghirardelli ©)
  • blue and white gelatin capsules (Capsuline)
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: placebo
hydrolyzed gelatin powder (Gelita)
Dietary supplement: gelatin (Gelita)
A single-center, prospective, double blind, placebo controlled study will be conducted in which male subjects with very mild acne swallow capsules filled with either unsweetened 100% cocoa (Ghirardelli), hydrolyzed gelatin powder (Gelita), or a combination of the two, at baseline. The study team will fill the capsules with either 6 oz. of hydrolyzed gelatin, 6 oz. cocoa powder (Ghirardelli ©), or a 6 oz. combination of cocoa powder (Ghirardelli ©) and hydrolyzed gelatin, totaling 6oz using a capsule encapsulation sheet (holding 60 capsules that need to be filled each time). All subjects will ingest the same number of total capsules. Evaluations will be performed using clinical assessments 4 days and 7 days after baseline evaluations (+/- 1 days).
Other Names:
  • blue and white gelatin capsules (Capsuline)
  • hydrolyzed gelatin (Gelita)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of acneiform lesions
Time Frame: 7 days
Number of lesions counted.
7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Miami

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Samantha Block, B.S., University of Miami
  • Principal Investigator: Brian Berman, M.D., Ph.D., University of Miami
  • Study Chair: Caroline Caperton, M.D., M.S.P.H., University of Miami
  • Study Chair: Whitney Valins, B.S., University of Miami

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2010

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2012

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 1, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 1, 2010

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 2, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 20, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 18, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20100520

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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