Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. The study suggests the following may influence acne development: foods with a high glycemic index, saturated fat, trans fat, milk and fish.
Acne is a skin disease present mostly in citizens of developed nations (1), affecting nearly all young adults between the ages of 15 to 17 years (2, 3) and often persisting well into adulthood (4). Acne results from excess oil (called sebum) production in the skin that leads to bacterial growth and inflammation. The treatment of acne is currently a $600 million per year industry (5).
The lack of acne among those in non-developed nations is thought to be due to consumption of a traditional plant-based diet low in fat, added sugars, glycemic index, glycemic load, and dairy while high in fish, omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, and vegetables (6) Foods with a high glycemic index are rapidly digested and absorbed, rapidly increasing blood sugar and subsequently the release of insulin, affecting various hormone levels that result in the sebum production and inflammation characteristic in acne (7, 8).
Now a new study (9) has continued to add to the role of diet in acne. The study involved 248 subjects (115 male, 133 female) between the ages of 18 and 25. They completed two questionnaires, the first on dietary intake (10) and the second on acne severity, food-aggravated acne beliefs, and acne-specific quality-of-life (11). Each subject was examined by a dermatologist and classified as “no acne”, “mild acne”, and “moderate/severe acne”.
The researchers found numerous dietary differences among the three groups:
| What Was Measured | No Acne (92 subjects) | Mild Acne (89 subjects) | Moderate/Severe Acne (67 subjects) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glycemic Index Score | 48.9 | 49.6 | 51.8 | < 0.001 |
| Total sugar (grams per day) | 56.4 | 72.9 | 199 | < 0.001 |
| Added sugar (grams per day) | 27.8 | 45.4 | 156 | < 0.001 |
| Milk (servings per day) | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | <0.001 |
| Fish (servings per day) | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.002 |
| Saturated fat (grams) | 15.6 | 17.8 | 31 | < 0.001 |
| Trans fat (grams) | 2.4 | 3.1 | 9.8 | < 0.001 |
Regarding food-aggravated beliefs:
| Dietary Beliefs | No Acne and Mild Acne (181 subjects) | Moderate/Severe Acne (67 subjects) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diet aggravates acne | 92 (50.8%) subjects believe | 52 (77.6%) subjects believe | < 0.001 |
| Soda aggravates acne | 24 (13.3%) subjects believe | 17 (25.4%) subjects believe | 0.037 |
For the researchers, “This study suggests that diet, particularly dietary glycemic index, saturated fat, trans fat, milk, and fish may influence or aggravate acne development” and that “Future research is necessary to elucidate the proposed mechanisms linking diet and acne and determine the impact of medical nutrition therapy on acne development.”
Source: Burris, Jennifer, William Rietkerk, and Kathleen Woolf. “Relationships of self-reported dietary factors and perceived acne severity in a cohort of New York young adults.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 114, no. 3 (2014): 384-392.
© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, Hill K, Eaton SB, Brand-Miller J. Acne vulgaris: A disease of Western civilization. Arch Dermatol. 2002;138(12):1584-1590
- Law MP, Chuh AA, Lee A, Molinari N. Acne prevalence and beyond: Acne disability and its predictive factors among Chinese late adolescents in Hong Kong. Clin Exp Dermaol. 2010;35(1):16-21
- Yahya H. Acne vulgaris in Nigerian adolescents—Prevalence, severity, beliefs, perceptions, and practices. Int J Dermatol. 2009;48(5): 498-505
- Collier CN, Harper JC, Cafardi JA, et al. The prevalence of acne in adults 20 years and older. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;58(1):56-59
- “Acne Treatment Manufacturing OTC in the US: Market Research Report” posted on the IBIS World website
- Lindeberg S, Eliasson M, Lindahl B, Ahrén B. Low serum insulin in traditional Pacific Islanders—The Kitava study. Metabolism. 1999;48(10):1216-1219
- Jenkins D, Wolever T, Taylor R, et al. Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange. Am J Clin Nutr. 1981;34(3):362-366.
- Brand-Miller J, Ludwig DS. Glycemic index and glycemic load, part A, overview. In: Nonas CA, Foster GD, eds. Managing Obesity: A Clinical Guide. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association; 2009:38-41
- Burris J. Relationships of Self-Reported Dietary Factors and Perceived Acne Severity in a Cohort of New York Young Adults. J Acad Nutr Diet 2014 Mar;114(3):384-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.11.010. Epub 2014 Jan 9.
- Lalonde I, Graham M, Slovinec-D’Angelo M, Beaton L, Brown J, Block T. Validation of the block fat/sugar/fruit/vegetable screener in a cardiac rehabilitation setting: Poster #9. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev 2008;28(5):340
- Gold MH, Andriessen A, Biron J. Self-diagnosis of mild-to-moderate acne for self-treatment with blue light therapy. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2009;2(4):40-44
