People with acne usually suspect that there is a link between their diet and their acne. The information out there is unclear and people are unsure about what’s true and what isn’t. When I was younger, I always thought that acne and oily skin was linked to the quantity of chocolate I consumed. Since then I’ve gone through periods of terrible acne, with out any chocolate being involved. There has also been times where chocolate has been a frequent part of my diet and my skin has been reasonably clear.

I now know that acne is way more complicated, and the diet is only one of many factors that can effect your acne. The link between what you eat and acne is not based on 1 item or sort of food. It’s based on your diet as a whole. Experts now believe that “the western diet” can actually lead to oilier skin and worsened acne. If your diet is heavily based on sugar and processed carbs then there are changes that you could make to improve your the condition of your skin.

When we eat refined carbs and sugar, our body produces more insulin and growth factor. This 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 worsened acne. In a way, chocolate does have an effect on acne, but it’s not only the chocolate, it is the diet as a whole.

A health professor at Colorado State University compared some acne statistics between the US,Paraguay and Papua New Guinea. In the US, the diets of the participants were based on refined carbohydrates and 80 to 95% of them suffered with acne. By comparison, in the other countries where the diets don’t include processed carbs, acne was non-existent. This is just 1 of several studies that link the refined carbohydrate based diet to oily skin and acne.

Dairy products have also been associated with acne. It is actually non-organic dairy goods that could be the issue. This is some thing my mum actually points out. Non-organic dairy products contain hormones and bioactive molecules. It’s the hormones that cause the problem. Hormones effect the body in so many different ways. If you drink non-organic milk, try switching to organic milk for a while and see if it makes a difference. There have been reports that prove this theory too, but this is such a simple change to make that I recommend trying it out for yourself.

One more thing to think about is food allergies. Now some cases, acne could be down to 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 acne. Other common intolerance’s are are wheat and eggs. If it is an intolerance that is causing the acne then it is pretty hard to find out. The negative effects could be so mild that it is hard to notice what it might be or even if you have an intolerance. If you find that your acne is really closely related to a type of food that you eat, try giving it up for a week or so and seeing if it makes the difference.

If you want to know more about oily skin or foundation for oily skin, search for to foroilyskin.org!

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