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Is Your Diet Causing Acne?

May 16 09:54am

When new patients come to me complaining about acne, I always ask them about their diet. Despite what you may have heard, there is mounting evidence that sweets and junk food like chips, white bread and French fries can cause breakouts.

That's because these foods have a high glycemic index, meaning they cause your blood sugar to rise, forcing your body to bring it down with a surge of insulin. The insulin stimulates oil-producing hormones called androgens, leaving you with pimples.

Studies show that avoiding sugary, starchy foods and instead eating whole grains, lean meat and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is not only good for you, but helps keep your skin clear. I also recommend that patients avoid dairy products, including cheese and yogurt. Though the evidence isn't quite as clear yet, research has found that people who drink more milk are more likely to experience breakouts. This is most likely due to the fact that milk--even if it's organic--contains the same hormones that cause acne in humans.

The good news is that some foods have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant qualities that can actually help fight acne, and many of them are very tasty.

Here are my top 10 acne-fighting foods:

Fish oil
Green tea
Avocado
Berries (blueberry, blackberry and strawberry are best)
Pomegranate
Beans
Whole grains
Nuts (walnuts are particularly good)
Dark green vegetables (Like kale, broccoli and spinach)
Ginger

If you suffer from acne, I encourage you to give these dietary changes a try. It may take a while to see improvement (usually about six weeks), but as long as you keep it up, the results are permanent!

Wishing you great skin!

13 Comments Report Abuse

1. dr.davidcheng - May 17 06:20am

I didn't know these foods were good at treating acne.

Richmond Hill Dentist
http://www.bcdentalcare.ca/NewP atients/tabid/472/Default.aspx

2. mannjoneshome - May 19 04:55am

Now that I think about it, my parents, grand parents and other family members consumed a lot of the acne-fighting foods on the list, and they were acne free. Interesting.

Margaret

3. marlene.gonzalez77 - May 19 09:15am

i love this article

4. YE3Y3ZTN7I4ZS5EMJ4IZ6O3AAU - May 20 08:58pm

thanks for the advice.

5. lumilissey - May 20 11:13pm

I agree with avoiding sugar and junk, but you can't cut out dairy. I have acne issues, but I'm also a workout junkie and I need the calcium and protein in milk and yogurt.

Besides, the connection between dairy and acne is dubious at best.

6. rwebb2009 - May 24 05:13pm

Increasing your protein intake by adding a Protein powder to your diet will stop acne. I had CYSTIC Acne. The kind that are LARGE and small and feels like very sore bruises. Infected with deep pus. I lowered my sugar and starch and increased protein. Clear skin! HTH someone!!!

7. sunspot42 - May 25 10:40am

Dairy is high in iodine, and iodine is known to aggravate acne. Ironically, skim milk - which is probably the healthiest dairy product - is also the highest in iodine. Fatty cheeses have the lowest iodine content. Unless you have a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant though, you can probably consume moderate amounts of dairy without causing breakouts.

Avoid shellfish, though. It's very high in iodine. And switch to non-iodized table salt. Virtually everybody in the West gets enough iodine from their diet - especially from processed foods and from eating out - to do without iodized salt (which was introduced decades ago to fight goiter).

8. shoppingrhonda@sbcglobal.net - May 25 10:37pm

I am not a dermatologist, or a physician, but I think that to tell people to eliminate dairy products is wrong because everyone is different. Everyone's body works differently, and what works for one person might not work for another. I had acne as a teen and a young adult, and my dermatologist never recommended that I stop consumming dairy products. Also, I ate a very healthy diet because my parents didn't allow my brother and I to eat a lot of junkfood, only special on occasions like holidays, and I still got acne. What cleared my acne was the use of tetracycline and Retin-A. However, like I said before, what worked for me, might not work for other people. Thanks, just wanted to put my two cents in.

9. suttermike@sbcglobal.net - May 26 05:19am

This article would be good if it contained true facts. Diet has very, very little effect on prducing acne breakouts. Although there are some true facts in this column, they have been wrongly construed in a way to back up the claims presented.

10. miercolesinexile - May 26 07:17am

Thank you so much for this article. I have bad acne and people have told me before that it's my diet but they could never give me a scientific reason. This just may be what cuts down my sweet tooth.