What’s that old saying? Oh yeah—“you are what you eat.”  Some would disagree but others say—maybe.  I have read a lot lately about how eating certain foods may directly affect the condition of your skin.  Well, it makes sense, but is it true?  Many conventional dermatologists would say, the foods you eat do not directly affect your skin–unless of course, you were to smear the food all over your face.  However, the younger generation of dermatologists tend to lean toward the possibility that certain foods do in fact trigger inflammation of acne and even rosacea.

For us to understand whether or not food affects acne, we must first ask ourselves– how does acne form?  According to Scientific American, acne forms because the ducts that connect the sebaceous glands in the skin, which dispense oil to keep the skin soft and healthy, are overactive and produce an excess of oil-soaked plug.  Bacteria and yeast thrive in this environment.  The body’s immune system responds, inflaming the area and turning it embarrassingly red.  Okay…so the sebaceous glands in the skin become overactive and over produce oil which then clogs our pores and gives us hideous acne– great.  But what makes the sebaceous glands overactive?  Well the cause of over-active sebaceous glands is a little thing we call testosterone.  Testosterone is responsible for the activity in the sebaceous glands and the lining cells.  When girls go through what’s known as menarche, or puberty, the serge of hormones in their bodies includes testosterone.  For boys, the testosterone concentration is obviously higher; that is why teen boys tend to have worse acne, which is spread more generally over their bodies.

Okay, so testosterone is a hormone in our bodies that causes our sebaceous glands to over produce oil which results in inflamed skin and acne, but what does that have to do with the types of food we eat?  Well, as it turns out the food that we eat influences these hormones!  Ding! Ding! Ding!  After collecting extensive dietary info on his patients over a period of seven years—in order to determine potential food links to breakouts, dermatologist William Danby said it became obvious over the years that dairy consumers had greater acne.  There have also been other studies that have had similar results linking acne to dairy consumption.  Danby advises all those afflicted with the red bumps to swear off milk products for six months (Scientific American).  One of his patients, a 61-year-old son of and ice cream maker with a lifelong acne problem finally gave up his dairy addiction and within a year was completely clear of any new acne.  According to Danby, milk from pregnant cows contains five particular hormones that oil glands can turn into dihydrotestosterone, testosterone’s most potent form.  Though there are no studies that prove dairy dircetly affects acne breakouts, recent studies do hint to the idea that the food you eat indirectly affects the condition of your skin by affecting the hormonal balance within the body.

If you are one that struggles with acne, take Danby’s advice.  Cut dairy out of your diet for just six months and see how your skin reacts.  You may even find that cutting dairy products has benfits beyond looking clear and healthy.  Let us know what you think about dairy, does it cause breakouts in your skin?

[ Via ScientificAmerican.com ] 

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