Food and Acne

Most people with acne think that there is a relationship between their eating habits and their acne. The information out there is not clear and plenty of people are not sure about what is true and what isn't.

I used to think that my acne and my oily skin was related to the amount of chocolate I ate. Since then I have been through times of terrible acne, without any chocolate being involved. There's also been occasions where chocolate has been a frequent part of my diet and my face has been reasonably clear.

I now realize that acne is a lot more complicated, and the diet is only one of many variables that can influence your acne. The relationship between the foods you eat and acne is not based on one item or sort of food. It's based on your diet as a whole.

Researchers now think that "the western diet" can actually lead to worse acne and oilier skin. If your diet is heavily based on refined carbohydrates and sugar then there are changes that you could make to your diet to improve your the condition of your skin.

When we consume sugar and refined carbohydrates, our body produces more insulin and growth factor. This then leads to an increase in male hormones which then leads to an increased production of sebum (the oil on your skin). It's the excess oil that the skin produces that leads to worse acne. In a way, chocolate does effect acne, but it is not just the chocolate, it is the diet as a whole.

Dairy products have also been linked to acne. It is actually non-organic dairy goods that might be the issue. This is something my mum regularly points out. Non-organic dairy products contain hormones and bio active molecules. It's the hormones that cause the issue. Hormones effect the body in so many different ways. If you drink non-organic milk, try changing to organic milk for a while and see if it makes any difference. There have been scientific studies that prove this theory too, but this is such a simple change to make that I suggest trying it out for yourself.

A health professor at Colorado State University compared some acne statistics between the US,Papua New Guinea and Paraguay. In the US, the eating habits of the participants were primarily based on refined carbohydrates and 80 to 95% of them suffered with acne. By contrast, in the other countries where the eating habits do not include processed carbohydrates, acne was non-existent. This is just one of a few studies that link the refined carb based diet to oily skin and acne.

Try and reduce the amount of refined sugars and carbohydrates in your diet, and introducing more vegetables, fruit and proteins.

One more thing to think about is food allergies. Now in this case, acne could be a result of eating one type of food. If you are intolerant to a sort of food then acne may be one of the side effects caused by consuming that food. Lactose intolerance is a common one so it could be dairy (organic or not) that's causing the issue. Other common intolerance's are are wheat and eggs. If it's an intolerance that's causing the acne then it's pretty hard to find out. The negative effects could be so mild that it's difficult to notice what it might be or even if you have got an intolerance. If you find that your acne is really closely linked to a type of food that you eat, try giving it up for a week or so and seeing if it makes the difference.