If you haven’t noticed, acne affects approximately ninety percent of the world’s population at some point in their lifetime. Easily the most common skin disease treated by dermatologists, with most of its victims being teenagers and young adults. According to current research, acne is caused by different factors like hormones, bacteria, and even genetic factors. However, many people believe acne is caused by a poor diet.
The acne diet connection has been studied for several decades. Some dermatologist claim that diet has no impact on the formation of acne, while others believe that diet has a direct correlation to a person’s acne. Well, acne and diet are connected.
Acne, Carbs and Sugar
Certain studies have found that a diet of pure carbohydrates and sugar leads to a surge of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). When these IGFs form they cause an excess of common hormones, androgens, which have been found to be potent producers of acne formation. The acne diet connection maintains that if an excess of hormones is produced, pores of the skin emit excess sebum or oil, which combined with bacteria, will often clog pores resulting in a breakout of acne.
Acne Diet Study
Acne studies conducted on islanders of Papua New Guinea found the acne diet connection was triggered by some environmental factors, in which diet is one. Researchers found out that limiting grains was an integral part of optimizing health, which led the researchers to conclude that a low or no grain diet was beneficial to reducing acne.
Dairy, Omega-3 and Acne Diet Connection
Two independent studies conducted on children between the ages of 9 and 15 years old determined there was a significant association between milk and acne. Children that drank two or more milk servings per day were more likely to experience acne outbreaks than those children who drank one or no servings of milk per week. Boys drinking skim milk experienced the largest or most frequent outbreaks of acne. Speculation by researchers that certain components in milk are stimulating insulin and growth factors that increases hormones, specifically testosterone, furthering the acne diet connection.
Additional studies appear to show evidence that suggest increasing omega-3 fats may help reduce acne. Omega-3 fats, plentiful in fatty fish, fish oil supplements and certain plant foods are high in anti-inflammatory properties. High anti-inflammatory agents have been shown to reduce levels of insulin growth factors and inflammation of skin follicles, thereby reducing acne outbreaks and again supporting the acne diet connection.
Acne Diet Connection Continues
The acne diet connection continues to be one of the hottest debates in the nutritional field. Some continue to believe that there is little research regarding the acne diet connection, while others see a clear connection between acne and diet; even going as far as to claim that doctors and dermatologists debunk the connecting research since they cannot sell a healthy diet.
Thanks for sharing the above info. I’ve noticed a few different foods seem to make my acne worse. i’ll have to see if limiting / removing them from my diet help.