The Connection Between Food and Acne – Dr. Acky Friedman

Acne is a phenomenon that appears in most adolescents. Many may suffer from the phenomenon after adolescence and some women suffer from it up to menopause. It is the most common skin phenomenon in western countries.
The system involved in the creation of acne is known and clear but the reasons that lead to the situation, severity, its duration, and the connection to various factors such as genetics, food, and hormones continue to be researched. There is a clear link between genetic tendencies and the impact of the hormonal system on this phenomenon.

The connection between nutrition and acne
The warnings about the connection between food and acne change over the years. In the past, there were warnings against eating fried food, hard cheese, chocolate, and sweets, especially due to the empirical connection between them and the appearance of acne. It is astounding to see that until 2007 there wasn’t a clear connection between foods consumed (diet) and acne. Recently, following a few research studies and observations, there has been an increase in awareness to the deep connection between nutrition and the appearance/ deterioration of acne.
It was found that acne is much more common among industrious developed countries than underdeveloped populations in rural towns. The fat-lass diet with the low glycemic value may explain this difference. Moreover, observations on poor populations that moved to cities showed a significant rise in the severity of acne, probably because of nutritional changes due to this change. The overconsumption of carbohydrates and dairy products (especially low fat products!!) increased the severity of acne.

The possible explanation: in low fat milk there are less feminine hormones, hence it is possible that the activation of hormonal factors (not just fat levels in the skin) are responsible for degradation of acne when talking about nutrition. The impact of Omega 3, Antioxidants, Zinc, Vitamin A, and Nutritious fiber is not yet clear with regard to acne. We probably shouldn’t eliminate the connection between our diets and acne.