Overview
The age-old information passed down from Mom and Dad that eating certain foods causes acne comes as bad news to teens pressured to pass up the pizza, chocolate, fries and chips. Research studies suggest that some foods can cause acne, but the American Academy of Dermatology continues to maintain that there’s no link between diet and breakouts. Dairy products and a high-glycemic diet have been examined as possible contributors to acne. However, the AAD states that more thorough research is needed to determine if there is a correlation between food and acne.
Causes of Acne
Acne is characterized by many different lesion types–blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and cysts–that generally erupt on the face, neck, shoulders, back and chest, says integrative physician Dr. Andrew Weil. He says that the primary cause of acne is increased hormone levels noted at the onset of adolescence, which stimulate the skin’s sebaceous glands and cause them to produce excess oil. According to Weil, there’s a strong link between acne and heredity. Adolescents and teens whose parents had acne are more likely to get it as well. A common old wives’ tale is that acne is also caused by food–and the yummy stuff, too. Greasy foods and snacks and sweet, chocolate desserts have a bad reputation as being the instigators of pimples.
Milk and Acne
A study published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology considered the role of milk and dairy products as a possible contributor to acne, says Weil. More than 47,000 adult women were asked what they ate in high school nine years prior. Women who consumed more than three servings of milk or dairy were 22 percent more likely to report having severe acne than those who consumed one serving or less a week. Women who drank two or more glasses of skim milk each day were 44 percent more likely to have suffered severe acne. However, the AAD points out that the study model was flawed, as it queried participants only on their consumption of milk and not other suspect foods, such as soda, chips and chocolate. Also, the AAD states that heredity was not taken into consideration in the study.
Low-Glycemic Diets
Another possible culprit studied was the Western diet itself, rich in refined foods. The AAD states that one study observed two non-Western native groups from the Kitavan Islands and Paraguay who did not suffer from acne. The low-glycemic diet consumed by these two populations was given credit for their clear complexions. The AAD states that a high-glycemic diet–one lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins–may cause insulin resistance, forcing the body to produce more insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. Insulin resistance could lead to excessive sebum production and inflammation, says the AAD. Problematic in studying the effects of insulin resistance and acne is that it assumes the skin disorder will be found in certain groups of people. Obese individuals, for example, have likely had insulin resistance for years, says the AAD, but not all overweight people have acne. By that theory, all diabetics would also have acne. Finally, the AAD indicates that studies did not show a relationship between eating high-glycemic foods and acne.
Other Experts Respond
Not all experts agree with the AAD that there’s no relationship between food and acne. In a December 2007 Boston Globe report, dermatologist William Danby, assistant professor at Dartmouth Medical School, stated that by the late 1970s, he began advising patients to refrain from eating dairy for six months, a strategy that yielded positive results. Danby told the Globe that a compilation of patient surveys from 1973 to 1980 indicated that those who consumed dairy products experienced the most severe acne. Weil says that more studies are needed to connect specific dairy products to acne, but recommends that teens and others who drink a lot of cow’s milk switch to calcium-fortified soy, almond and rice milks.
What to Do
The AAD contends that abiding by a rigid diet won’t get rid of acne. Greases and oils from pizza and french fries can clog the skin around the mouth, however, and should be washed away after meals. The AAD advises eating a healthy diet and avoiding certain foods if they seem to make acne worse, but goes on to say that if the acne is being adequately treated, diet shouldn’t make a difference.
