Does Food Aggravate Acne? Part 1 - The Controversy

Acne is one of the most common skin diseases and approximately $ 4 billion is spent on treatment each year. There are also significant social and emotional costs. Although acne affects all ages, prevalence starts to increase from age 8, and peaks at 16 to 18 years when 75% to 98% of the population is affected.

The relationship between diet and acne has long been formulated but remains unproven and thus controversial. Most dermatology textbooks state that there is no role and the majority of dermatologists are on the beaten path.

My experiences and observations with acne patients, however, tell a different story. Many of my patients had remedies (without clinical lesions) after treatment and "no milk, no chocolate, no ice cream, no cola, no fried fast food regime had a severe outbreak after they revived them from food habits." Over two decades of consistent observations have convinced me that certain foods stimulate facial eruptions. Again, human medicine and disease management are not scientifically accurate, and we cannot always adhere to evidence-based (though better) therapy, as all medical practitioners will realize sooner or later in their careers.

A scan of the medical literature shows that I am not alone in this belief. There are dozens of studies, mostly in favor of, acne-diet-positive relationships. Let's take a look at some of these things now:

1. The role of iodide in the cause of acne

It has long been known that iodine and its iodine salts stimulate sebaceous glands and cause acne eruption. Many natural and cooked foods contain varying amounts of iodide and iodine. It is the reason to conclude that such foods as taken regularly and excessively can induce or aggravate acne lesions in previous individuals.

Here's a list of iodides that contain items to us gastronomy shelves with an amount of iodide in each. Only a few are selected with high content and, for comparison, some with low content are mentioned here. The iodide content measured as ppm (parts per million) is shown in brackets:

Seafood

Squid (39); Crab (33); Shrimp (17)

Chicken meat

Cow liver (325); Turkey (132); Chicken (67)

Vegetables

Asparagus (169); Broccoli (90); Onions (82); Corn (45)

Product Diary

Butter (26); Cheddar cheese (27); Cottage cheese (5); Milk (11); Yogurt (3)

Various

Drink water (8); Modified salts (54); Potato chips (40); Tortilla chips (80); White bread (8)

Now, with such a list, who would deny that food is an aggravating factor?

2. Acne strengthens the medication.

In addition to iodide, the following medications can cause or aggravate acne (incomplete list):

• Corticosteroids (both systemic and local)
• Bromide
• Phenytoin (anti-epileptic)
• Lithium (anti-psychotic)
• Isoniazid (anti-tuberculosis)
• Some oral contraceptives such as Ovral, Loestrin, Norlestrin, and Norinyl and others improve acne formation, while some, such as Diane 35 are used to treat certain types of hormones caused by hormones.

So, how does this support the "acne-food" theory?

The fact that there are many drugs that affect acne can be attributed to the acne-eating scenario:

1. Dietary foods are absorbed and used by our body in the same way as oral drug metabolism. In other words, food is no different from other medicines (starving?) Which can have both positive and negative effects on the body and organs including the skin! Now, my question is, if certain drugs can affect acne by aggravating or improving it, why can't food affect acne? Is there any rationale or evidence to overcome this deduction derived from pure common sense?

2. Many of the medicines used to treat cattle diseases are found in different amounts in their produce: milk and meat. If these drugs can aggravate the acne, it will result in the use of milk / meat can adversely affect acne!

3. Anabolic steroids are used (as an injection and in food) to increase the mass and bulk of meat and poultry. These levels of hormones are naturally present in the end product of diary and surgery / chicken. Steroids, both anabolic and corticosteroids, are known to induce and correct acneiform eruptions, not only in the face, but also in the back and front of the trunk. So can't a diary, meat and chicken cause acne? Except of course, we can prove that such drugs are completely destroyed during pasteurization (milk) and cooking, which is very unlikely!

3. Acne, Vitamins and Minerals.

A number of studies have shown the beneficial effects of some vitamins and minerals on acne. These are Vitamin A, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and Essential Fat Acids (Omega 3). There are many food items that contain vitamins and trace elements. Although the amount of these molecules to cause any clinical changes may be high, who can rule out the possibility that even the amount of minutes present does not affect acne?

There have been contradictory reports on Vitamin B Complex B and Vitamin E, some studies have found positive effects on acne while others have indicated that these vitamins actually exacerbate acne.

Part 2: Scanning Journals

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