The diet and acne myth has been passed down from one generation to the next. According to this myth, eating foods such as chocolate or French fries can make your acne worse. However, this claim is unreliable, since there’s no solid proof to back it up. Acne’s true cause is something of a mystery, but current studies are beginning to shed some light on it. As a matter of fact, you might be somewhat surprised, if not alarmed, about statistics that shows some sort of relationship between milk (and various other dairy products) and acne problems.
Experts say that the natural and man-made hormones found in milk may have significant effects on the onset of acne. But this is only a possible hypothesis that needs to be proven, so don’t remove milk from your daily diet just yet. As for specific food groups, no scientific evidence can back-up your friend’s advice not to eat chocolate because it will cause breakouts. The diet-acne relationship is still not clear, so don’t worry as you can still eat a chocolate bar every now and then without worrying about zits.
What about all those cases of someone eating something and suddenly having an acne flare up? Well, those cases might involve meat or similar products. Meat might contain hormones left over from the original animal. Those hormones could be a possible cause of acne, rather than the food itself. You may have also read something about other cultures not having such a high prevalence of acne. Some cultures, particularly ones with supposedly “primitive” diets, have a lower occurrence of acne than people in more technologically advanced places. Whether this is related to the processing of food in countries like the United States has yet to be proven.
Some experts also think that a westernized diet (foods rich in preservatives or refined food) could possibly be connected to the existence of acne. But don’t go pack your bags and migrate to a remote country just to avoid acne, since more proof is needed to back up this claim as well.
Despite the uncertainty of the real connection between diet and acne, it’s always healthier to be more conscious about what you eat and drink. Eating healthy foods rich in vitamins and minerals may not really erase those zits, but it will definitely build your resistance against viruses and bacteria.
Right now, you might want to consider these diet changes in order to feel healthier and possibly even improve your acne.
– Refrain from eating dairy products for some time and see if your acne decreases in severity.
– Lower your intake of sweets, such as soda pop and chocolate. There’s no solid proof to show that they cause acne, but there’s no evidence that they don’t either. We know that sugar is not good for your body, so lowering your intake could help your breakouts.
– Stick to foods that do not contain fats and oils. Listen to your mom and try to eat starch-based foods such as vegetables. Many of these veggies contain nutrients that help fight or prevent acne.
– Consume a lot of water, as this habit can wash down toxins that might make your skin cells more prone to acne.
