TABLE 2.
Quantitative morphological characteristics of RSSC collected from the surface of the facial skin before and after four-week consumption of dark chocolate (mean ± SEM).
| MEASURED PARAMETERS | STUDY GROUPS | BEFORE DIETARY INTERVENTION | AFTER DIETARY INTERVENTION | P-VALUE OBTAINED USING PAIRED T-TEST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIPID DROPLET SIZE | Middle-aged subjects (all) | 3.45±0.24 | 3.52±0.18 | 0.407 |
| Young subjects (all) | 3.95±0.20 | 4.29±0.17 | 0.091 | |
| Young (BMI below 25.0kg/m2) | 3.53±0.31 | 3.92±0.24 | 0.190 | |
| Young (BMI over 25.0kg/m2) | 4.33±0.23 | 4.47±0.23 | 0.576 | |
| CORNEOCYTE DESQUAMATION | Middle-aged subjects (all) | 102.56±15.67 | 122.69±20.40 | 0.309 |
| Young subjects (all) | 94.68±11.07 | 124.77±13.59 | <0.001 | |
| Young (BMI below 25.0kg/m2) | 90.00±20.43 | 125.25±18.53 | <0.001 | |
| Young (BMI over 25.0kg/m2) | 98.78±12.86 | 124.33±21.80 | 0.078 | |
| MICROBIAL PRESENCE | Middle-aged subjects (all) | 2.12±0.16 | 2.36±0.20 | 0.049 |
| Young subjects (all) | 2.25±0.21 | 2.63±0.26 | 0.007 | |
| Young (BMI below 25.0kg/m2) | 1.97±0.23 | 2.15±0.20 | 0.057 | |
| Young (BMI over 25.0kg/m2) | 2.50±0.33 | 3.05±0.43 | 0.029 |
SEM: standard error of the mean