Wed 10 Oct 2007
If you go check out my diet page you might notice that I’m going back on grains. In fact, I’ll be back on dairy in a month. My descent into the Paleo diet is going to have to be put on hold for a short while. Before I get too involved, I want to answer a very important question:
What really causes acne?
Is it poor hygiene? Not getting enough sunlight? Touching your face too much? As you can probably guess, I think the real reason behind most acne problems is diet.
I’ve got a damn good hunch that diet is the real issue for most cases of acne. Certain experiences have made me feel this way: for instance, my face was very clear during one week. I didn’t have so much as one pimple. I broke down one night during that week and bought a small box of Junior Mints. Within hours, I had several zits. It was ridiculous. In general, I have seen a significant improvement in my acne since I started changing my diet. However, this could be attributed to other reasons and I haven’t documented this change yet, so I am now planning to go back and see the difference.
Another self experiment
Here’s the plan. I will take daily photographs of myself while I alter my diet. I am planning to go without dairy and limit refined sugar as much as possible for the month of October. For November, I am planning on reintroducing dairy products into my diet. For December, I think I will start eating a large amount of refined sugar products. I have a feeling that acne is caused, or at least exacerbated by sugar, dairy, or grains. Not everyone would agree with me though.
What do the experts say?
Myth:
Diet and acne are related
Reality:
The bottom line is we need more research. We do know that people in some indigenous societies do not experience acne whatsoever across the entire population. This is in stark contrast to the widespread presence of acne throughout all modern society. It leaves us to ponder the question of whether the indigenous people’s diet contributes to their acne-free skin. Discovering a dietary way of preventing acne may be a future reality, however, we may live so differently from our hunter/gatherer ancestors that it has become close to impossible to replicate our ancestral diet.
http://www.acne.org/myths.html
Wait. So it’s obvious that diet is important here, but it’s impossible to replicate our ancestral diet? Why? He just said that indigenous societies have the right kind of diet. Is it impossible for us to eat what they eat? The way this is worded and the fact that it’s put into a “myth/reality” format even though he says “we need more research” shows me that dietary changes are actively ignored by the experts. It’s recognized that diet is important, but then dietary changes are described as being “impossible”. I guess people would rather deal with the symptoms than preventing the root cause.
Myth #2: Acne is caused by diet. Extensive scientific studies have not found a connection between diet and acne. In other words, food does not cause acne. Not chocolate. Not french fries. Not pizza. Nonetheless, some people insist that certain foods affect their acne. In that case, avoid those foods. Besides, eating a balanced diet always makes sense. However, according to the scientific evidence, if acne is being treated properly, there’s no need to worry about food affecting the acne.
http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/myths.html
Another website saying that “if acne is being treated properly, there’s no need to worry about food affecting acne. This is the kind of lazy thinking that results in an obesity epidemic and soaring rates of heart disease and diabetes. As long as we can treat the symptoms, you can eat as much junk as you want!
I must be crazy.
Once again, I feel like I’m doing something crazy. It’s obviously not going to work because the experts have to come to a consensus: diet does not cause acne. It’s a myth. It’d be nice if the experts were always right, but every experience I have had since I started this blog has suggested otherwise. I will update you with photographs as soon as the second phase of this little experiment starts.
If you have had experiences overcoming acne or just some good hunch about what causes it, I’d like to know.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:29 am
My wife and I used to eat the standard American diet and we had mild, occasional acne.
When we changed to a vegan diet –suddenly cutting out all animal products 100%– our skin cleared up completely and stayed that way.
So, it was either meat or dairy causing the acne.
October 10th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Awesome. I’ve heard similar things about the vegan diet. And I do appreciate the distinction between meat and dairy. Most people lump them together automatically.
Thanks for the input!
October 29th, 2007 at 2:46 am
Acne has many causes, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, toxic burden. But I suspect for most people its linked to insulin resistance. Modern humans dont have nearly the amount of activity that paleo humans did so our metabolisms have slowed to a screaching halt. Sure we might exercise now and then, or even an hour each day, but its nothing compared to walking all day for several weeks tracking animals or foraging for food like paleo humans did. One way to trick your body into raising its metabolism is by drinking green tea, 5 cups a day especially with meals, ideally fresh organic stuff. Green tea improves insulin sensitivity and does so many other great things its mind boggling. Additionally, you should aim to become a more muscular piece of physical human perfection. By increasing muscle mass and reducing fat mass (especially visceral fat) you will greatly improve insulin sensitivity. It’s also important to eat balanced meals that contain carbs, fat (olive oil or tahini), and protein in moderate amounts. This will help slow glucose entry into the blood stream. and make your body think that it has plenty of nutrition so no need to do strange things like shunt all the calories to fat cells to prepare for famine.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I’d love to be able to drink green tea, but I’m afraid that I can’t stand the taste.
I am working to increase my muscle mass and change my diet. As far as your theory about insulin resistance, I think you could be right. I did a quick search and found that acne is a common symptom of diabetes, which seems to be evidence of the link between insulin resistance and acne.
I know that diet affects insulin resistance. One study showed a remarkable improvement in glucose tolerance in diabetes patients that went on a Paleo diet for just three months. I expect that when I start consuming loads of dairy and refined sugar in the next two months, my own insulin resistance will spiral out of control and I’ll have problems with acne. That’s what I’m expecting at least; perhaps nothing will happen at all. Thanks for the comment, Jono.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Jeremiah,
You might also look into adding more omega 3 fatty acids to the diet. Both fish and alpha linolenic acid (flaxseed) have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and prevent visceral fat accumulation. And omega 3s are very anti-inflammatory. You can check nutritiondata.com to find the omega 3 and omega 6 values for different foods. By including 4 or 5 tablespoons of (whole) flaxseed and grinding in a coffee grinder and adding the powder to a glass of water, you’ll get plenty of omega 3s. You should aim for a 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids in the diet. Omega 6 fuels inflammatory cascades, while omega 3 fuels anti-inflammatory cascades.