Odd, isn't it, that all foods implicated with causing a spotty skin happen to be really tasty? Chocolate, candy, nuts, soda, fried food, chips... I could go on.
It seems over the years almost every food has been blamed for bringing on acne in some form or the other - even water would you believe! The reality is there is no scientific evidence to show high carbohydrate and/or high fat intake has any effect on producing an overly oily skin and subsequently an outbreak of acne. The problem is, there are so many factors that CAN cause acne to get worse that it's a tough job to isolate just one.
For many years, dairy foods have been linked to acne. There have been reports of acne sufferers eliminating milk from their diet and seeing an improvement in their condition. Results from studies conducted by Harvard Medical School seem, on the face of it (please excuse the pun), to validate this.
They asked 6,500 spotty teenagers, both boys and girls, to monitor their milk/dairy food consumption over a specified period of time. The results were interesting. They showed a distinct association between the level of milk consumption and the severity of acne. Equally interesting is that the results seen were independent of the fat content of the milk, be it "whole", "reduced fat" or "skimmed".
Milk-based instant breakfast drinks, cottage cheese and cream cheese showed statistically significant associations with acne, whereas other dairy foods had little effect if any. In the study, girls were more effected than boys. It has been suggested that the hormones produced naturally in cow's milk (particularly pregnant cows) caused the increased effect in girls.
By the way, if you're a teenager and thinking of trying this, just remember that milk is an important source of calcium for people of your age. You will need to make sure you get sufficient calcium whilst trying out a dairy-free diet.
They say stress is linked to the types of food you eat. Stress in itself will also flare up your acne. So if you are someone who tends to eat more junky foods when you're stressed... you are only adding to the problem. Try monitoring the food you eat. If you think a particular type of food makes your acne worse, cut down on your intake... stressed out or not!
Be sensible though. You clearly will not benefit from being malnourished. Although I've never heard of anyone becoming malnourished from giving up high-fat, high-carbohydrate junk food, or any of the other foods people complain about as being the cause of acne flares.
Finally, I'm told there is a substance that when eaten in a large enough volume will have a detrimental effect on acne. And that's iodine. So don't go overboard on food high in iodine, such as seaweed.
In conclusion, the secret with food and what you eat is moderation. Overindulgence in anything is going to have a real negative effect on your body... your acne just happens to come along for the ride!
