Dairy and Acne

About 80% of American adolescents have acne, while in countries on traditional diets that do not include dairy products there are almost zero cases of acne. However, as soon as the culture became western and started including milk and cheese in the diet, acne appeared. Japan is an example of this.

There are certainly other factors at work, but there are two reasons why milk and other dairy products can contribute to acne.

First, many people do not digest milk products properly and their bodies respond by removing many elements that they cannot digest through the lungs in the form of mucus and skin in the form of acne.

Second, even in people who are able to digest milk well, there may be reactions to hormones that are believed to be present in milk. The leading cause of teen acne is said to be hormone imbalance, and milk today may contain many hormones from 50 or 100 years ago. This is why.

Any woman or animal who is pregnant naturally has more hormones in her body. In the wild, this is not important because milk is not used until after the baby / baby is born, when excess hormones are no longer available. But today milk commercial production of milk continues to become pregnant almost always, to make them produce more milk. Therefore, excess female hormones are believed to be present in the milk we drink, which may contribute to acne and other possible problems such as obesity, male-shaped breast tissue, and even breast cancer in older women.

So, if you have acne, consider keeping the dairy product completely for 2 weeks. This takes some planning because dairy products can be difficult to avoid. You need to check the ingredients in every food or drink that is in your mouth. Milk powder can appear in places you would not expect.

If you're a teenager and your mom says you need milk, explain that this is just a 2 week test, and why you did it. He's so young and he probably knows more than you think! Tell her you can still have eggs, and you can take calcium supplements, but for 2 weeks you will have no milk, butter, yogurt, cheese or anything else that contains it.

During these 2 weeks your acne is prepared to get a little worse before it starts to get better. You can deactivate for the first 3-7 days. You may also experience cough or cold symptoms.

After 2 weeks, does your skin get better? The answer is probably yes.

Now you can formally test your dairy tolerance by drinking a glass of milk or eating a regular portion of cheese. If you are intolerant of milk, you may have an immediate reaction such as a stuffy or watery nose, or a headache soon. You may have diarrhea or very loose BM the next day. Or you may not have immediate symptoms but if you return to regular dairy your skin may be worse than before. If as a result of this informal test you believe that you may be intolerant of milk, be sure to check your results by taking a food sensitivity test with a nutritionist.

If you have a reaction, leave the milk for 5 more days and then test for yogurt. Some people can digest yogurt but not other dairy products.

If there is no reaction, you may not be sensitive to milk. You can still reduce your intake to avoid hormones that are believed to be pregnant, but don't stress about the amount of milk or cheese in the foods you eat.

Be sure to get enough calcium through other sources of food or supplements, and consult with your doctor or dermatologist on treatment for severe acne.

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