Kris Carr

Wellness

Do Milk and Sugar Cause Acne?

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Hiya Smarties!

Check out this super informative guest article by Mark Hyman, MD from my blog archives. If you or someone you know struggles with acne, the information and tips in this post could change your life.

Take it away, Dr. Hyman…

As our sugar and dairy consumption has increased over the last 100 years, so has the number of people with acne.

We now have over 17 million acne sufferers, costing our health care system $1 billion a year. Eighty to 90 percent of teenagers suffer acne to varying degrees. The pimply millions rely on infomercial products hawked by celebrities, or over-the-counter lotions, cleansers and topical remedies.

Recent research suggests that it’s not what we slather on our skin that matters most, but what we put in our mouth.

Many have suggested a diet-acne link, but until recently, it has not been proven in large clinical studies.

Instead, dermatologists prescribe long-term antibiotics and Accutane, both of which may cause long-term harmful effects. In 2009, a systematic review of 21 observational studies and six clinical trials found clear links. Two large controlled trials found that cow’s milk increased both the number of people who got acne and its severity. Other large randomized prospective controlled trials (the gold standard of medical research) found that people who had higher sugar intake and a high glycemic load diet (more bread, rice, cereal, pasta, sugar and flour products of all kinds) had significantly more acne.

The good news is that chocolate (dark chocolate, that is) didn’t seem to cause acne.

The dietary pimple-producing culprits—dairy and sugar (in all its blood-sugar-raising forms)—cause spikes in certain pimple producing hormones.

Dairy boosts male sex hormones (various forms of testosterone or androgens) and increases insulin levels, just as foods that quickly raise blood sugar (sugar and starchy carbs) spike insulin.

Androgens and insulin both stimulate your skin to make those nasty, embarrassing pimples. One patient recently told me he would give a million dollars for a pill to cure acne. He doesn’t need to. It seems that, for many, the cure to acne is at the end of their fork, not in a prescription pad.

While pimples are not as simple as too much milk or sugar in your diet, both have a significant impact.

Nutritional deficiencies, as well as excesses, can worsen acne.

Correcting common deficiencies, including low levels of healthy omega-3 anti-inflammatory fats, low levels of antioxidants such as vitamin E, zinc and vitamin A, and including an important anti-inflammatory omega-6 fat called evening primrose oil all may be helpful in preventing and treating unwanted pimples.

I will explain how you can correct and incorporate all of these nutritional elements of your diet and outline some supplements that will help you fight acne in a moment.

First it is worth taking a deeper look at milk and sugar.

Stay Away from Dairy and Avoid Acne

One scientist referred to milk as a “complex aqueous, suspended fat, liposomal, suspended protein emulsion.” What we know that milk is designed to grow things—namely, babies—and in the case of cow’s milk, calves. It is naturally full of what we call anabolic hormones (the same ones that bodybuilders and A Rod use to grow big muscles, and that cause bad acne). These are mostly androgens (like testosterone) and growth hormones, including insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

There is no such thing as hormone-free milk.

Here’s a short list of the 60-some hormones in your average glass of milk—even the organic, raw, and bovine-growth-hormone-free milk:

  • 20 α-dihydropregnenolone
  • progesterone (from pregnenolone)
  • 5 α-pregnanedione
  • 5 α-pregnan-3 β-ol-20-one, 20 α- and 20 β-dihydroprogesterone (from progesterone)
  • 5 α-androstene-3 β17 β-diol
  • 5 α-androstanedione
  • 5 α-androstan-3 β-ol-17-one
  • androstenedione
  • testosterone
  • dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate acyl ester
  • insulin like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1 and IGF-2)
  • insulin

This is what our government suggests we drink in high doses—at least three glasses a day for me, a healthy adult male, according to the choosemyplate.gov website. Those guidelines have been strongly criticized by many, including leading nutrition scientists from Harvard such as Walter Willett and David Ludwig.

The famous Nurses’ Health Study examining health habits of 47,000 nurses found that those who drank more milk as teenagers had much higher rates of severe acne than those who had little or no milk as teenagers. If you think it is the fat in milk, think again. It was actually the skim milk that had the strongest risk for acne. In other studies of over 10,000 boys and girls from 9 to 15 years old, there was a direct link between the amount of milk consumed and the severity of acne.

It appears that it is not just the anabolic or sex hormones in milk that cause problems, but milk’s ability to stimulate insulin production. It actually may be the lactose or milk sugar in milk that acts more like a soft drink than an egg.

Drinking a glass of milk can spike insulin levels 300 percent. Not only does that cause pimples, but it also may contribute to prediabetes. This is true despite studies funded by the dairy council showing that milk helps with weight loss. The question is compared to WHAT diet—a diet of bagels and Coke, or a healthy, phytonutrient- and antioxidant-rich, plant-based diet with lean animal protein?

Stay Away from Sugar, Refined Carbs and Pimples

If a glass of milk causes pimples, that may drive you back to your Pepsi. But not so fast. Recent studies also show that sugar and refined carbs (a high-glycemic diet) cause acne. More importantly, taking kids off sugar and putting them on a healthy, whole foods, low-glycemic load diet resulted in significant improvements in acne compared to a control group eating a regular, high-sugar American diet.

In addition to having fewer pimples, the participants lost weight and became more sensitive to the effects of insulin (resulting in less pimple-producing insulin circulating around the blood). They also had fewer sex hormones floating around their blood that drive pimples. We know that women who have too much sugar and insulin resistance get acne, hair growth on their face, hair loss on the head and infertility. This is caused by high levels of circulating male hormones and is called polycystic ovarian syndrome, but is a nutritional, not gynecologic, disease.

But the dietary influences don’t stop there. It is not just sugar, but the bad fats we eat that may also contribute to acne.

Get an Oil Change

Our typical Western diet is full of inflammatory fats—saturated fats, trans fats, too many omega-6, inflammatory, processed vegetable oils like soy and corn oils. These increase IGF-1 and stimulate pimple follicles.

Inflammation has been linked to acne, and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats (from fish oil or a vegan source) may help improve acne and help with many skin disorders.

Balance the Hormones that Cause Skin Problems

The link is clear—hormonal imbalances caused by our diet trigger acne. Our diet influences sex hormones like testosterone, IGF-1 and insulin, which promote acne. The biggest factors affecting your hormones are the glycemic load of your diet (determined by how quickly the food you eat increases your blood sugar and insulin levels), and the amount of dairy products you eat.

The good news is that eating a healthy diet and taking a few supplements can balance those hormones. Exercise also helps improve insulin function.

How To Prevent and Treat Acne

Nine simple steps will help most overcome their acne problems.

1. Stay away from milk. It is nature’s perfect food—but only if you are a calf.

2. Eat a low glycemic load, low sugar diet. Sugar, liquid calories, and flour products all drive up insulin and cause pimples.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. People who eat more veggies (containing more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds) have less acne. Make sure you get your 5 to 9 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables every day.

4. Get more healthy anti-inflammatory fats. Make sure to get omega-3 fats (fish oil, or a vegan source of omega-3).

5. And anti-inflammatory omega-6 fats (evening primrose oil). You will need supplements to get adequate amounts (more on that in a moment).

6. Include foods that correct acne problems. Certain foods have been linked to improvements in many of the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it. These include fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods such as berries, green foods like dark green leafy vegetables, and omega 3-eggs.

7. Take acne-fighting supplements. Some supplements are critical for skin health. Antioxidant levels have been shown to be low in acne sufferers. And healthy fats can make a big difference. Here are the supplements I recommend:

  • Evening primrose oil: Take 1,000 to 1,500mg twice a day.
  • Zinc citrate: Take 30 mg a day.
  • Vitamin A: Take 25,000 IU a day. Only do this for three months. Do not do this if you are pregnant.
  • Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols, not alpha tocopherol): Take 400 IU a day.

8. Try probiotics. Probiotics (lactobacillus, etc.) also help reduce inflammation in the gut that may be linked to acne.

9. Avoid foods you are sensitive to. Delayed food allergies are among the most common causes of acne—foods like gluten, dairy, yeast and eggs are common culprits and can be a problem if you have a leaky gut.

Following these simple tips will help you eliminate acne and have that glowing skin you have always dreamed of. It’s much cheaper (and safer) than expensive medications and dermatologist visits. Improve your diet and take acne-fighting supplements, and you will watch your pimples disappear.

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us today, Dr. Hyman!

Now I’d like to hear from you: Have you struggled with an acne or skin problem? Have you noticed any link between your skin? What seems to be a problem for you? Let’s share our collective wisdom in the comments below.

To Clearer, Healthy Skin

 

 

Sources:

F. William Danby, MD, Nutrition and acne, Clinics in Dermatology (2010) 28, 598–604.

White GM. Recent findings in the epidemiologic evidence, classification, and subtypes of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 39(2 Pt 3):S34-7 (1998 Aug).

Lello J, Pearl A, Arroll B, et al. Prevalence of acne vulgaris in Auckland senior high school students. N Z Med J 108(1004):287-9 (1995 Jul 28).

Venereol 21(6):806-10 (2007 Jul).

Wolf R, Matz H, Orion E. Acne and diet. Clin Dermatol 22(5):387-93 (2004 Sep-Oct).

Magin P, Pond D, Smith W, et al. A systematic review of the evidence for myths and misconceptions’ in acne management: diet, face-washing and sunlight. Fam Pract 22(1):62-70 (2005 Feb).

Spencer EH, Ferdowsian HR, Barnard ND. Diet and acne: a review of the evidence. Int J Dermatol 48(4):339-47 (2009 Apr).

Bendiner E. Disastrous trade-off: Eskimo health for white civilization, Hosp Pract 9:156-89 (1974).

Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Danby FW, et al. High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne. J Am Acad Dermatol 52(2):207-14 (2005 Feb).

Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS, et al. Milk consumption and acne in adolescent girls. Dermatol Online J 12(4):1 (2006).

Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS, et al. Milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys. J Am Acad Dermatol 58(5):787-93 (2008 May).

Hoyt G, Hickey MS, Cordain L. Dissociation of the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to whole and skimmed milk. Br J Nutr 93(2):175-7 (2005 Feb).

Kaymak Y, Adisen E, Ilter N, et al. Dietary glycemic index and glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, and leptin levels in patients with acne. J Am Acad atol 57(5):819-23 (2007 Nov).

Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, et al. Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization. Arch Dermatol 138(12):1584-90 (2002 Dec).

Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A, et al. A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 86(1):107-15 (2007 Jul).

Smith RN, Mann NJ, Braue A, et al. The effect of a high- protein, low glycemic-load diet versus a conventional, high glycemic-load diet on biochemical parameters associated with acne vulgaris: a randomized, investigator-masked, controlled trial. J Am Acad Dermatol 57(2):247-56 (2007 Aug).

Smith RN, Braue A, Varigos GA, et al. The effect of a low glycemic load diet on acne vulgaris and the fatty acid composition of skin surface triglycerides. J Dermatol Sci 50(1):41-52 (2008 Apr).

Zouboulis CC. Is acne vulgaris a genuine inflammatory disease? Dermatology 203(4):277-9 (2001).

James MJ, Gibson RA, Cleland LG. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory mediator production. Am J Clin Nutr 71(1 Suppl):343S-8S (2000 Jan).

Simopoulos AP. Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease. Am J Clin Nutr 70(3 Suppl):560S-9S (1999 Sep). 26. Kaaks R, Bellati C, Venturelli E, et al. Effects of dietary intervention on IGF-I and IGF-binding proteins, and related alterations in sex steroid metabolism: the Diet and Androgens (DIANA) Randomised Trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 57(9):1079-88 (2003 Sep).

Fulton JE, Jr., Plewig G, Kligman AM. Effect of chocolate on acne vulgaris. Jama 210(11):2071-4 (1969 Dec 15).

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Add a comment
  1. kenishia says:

    Hi kris! I have just became vegetarian and I have a question about dairy. When I eat a lot of cheese I get constipated as well as when I eat a lot of white flour carbs. What would be the healthiest food to eat to keep those things from happening?

  2. Xiomara says:

    My teen daughter uses dermalmd blemish serum . She has had issues with acne and has fairly sensitive skin. She loves this serum, it keeps her skin soft, doesn’t break her out or otherwise bother her skin. Salicylic acid is great for acne and softening skin, so it’s no wonder this works so well for her. This is yet another dermalmd product we trust and keep on hand.

  3. Janet Valentin says:

    Dries out your pimples very well. Dermalmd Blemish Serum is the stuff your doctor’s will prescribe for acne, with a different brand name of course. But it has the benzoyl peroxide in it and that’s the acne agent. Just be sure to only put this on your blemish, not your whole face for your face will get really dry if you apply it everywhere.

  4. Hi,
    I live on rice and bread, that’s what I am used to and everyone else in my family tree. I do get a pimple or two every once in a while. I usually get that small white zit mostly on my forehead, and they appear when I don’t get enough sleep, or I’m super stressed out. I don’t drink milk, though. I’m allergic to everything dairy. But I still believe acne can be genetic and hormonal. Thanks for sharing!

  5. telescopio says:

    This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!!
    Finally I’ve found something that helped me. Thanks!

  6. Lena says:

    I always loved milc, joghurt, cappuchino, muesli… and can just say, that since I stricly forbid all dairy products and all sugar in my diary, my face completly changed. My acne vanished completly! I live this lifestyle for 3-4 month now, and nobody wanted to believe this theory at first, “it is stress…etc.”. Even today, most people do not believe me. They ask me how I could live completly without dairy and sugar, but when you have real bad acne, are so desperate, tried so many things, you will do everything for it to change. I will never forget these days, my face looked so awful, it pained so much, I just cried in the bathroom seeing my face in the mirror. I had wished not to leave the house, so nobody could see me, but of course this was never possible. Make up was my best friend at that time. And no, no make up did never make a change for me. And of course sometimes I got weak at first, but the painful big underground pimple(s) I got one day afterwards (sometimes even at the same evening) was always my punishment.
    I really wished I had these informations many years ago. My face was better at some years but never without pimples. Suddenly at the start of this year I got so bad acne like I never had before. I searched the whole internet again, tried also to life gluten/sugar free. But my skin did not get better. Today I know, it is both: dairy and sugar. I recommend everyone to try the typical three: gluten, dairy (no milc, no butter, no joghurt, NOTHING), no sugar. If you are lucky, just one or two are the triggers, like for me. I really wish everyone they find the trigger for their acne.
    The scars and spots will be with me for many months and years, I wished the dermatolgists and doctor would read some more about treating acne with nutrion instead of giving young girls and women hormone pills and awful cremes to dry the skin. In the end it was my personal research in the internet and the wonderful people who shared their experience how they got rid of their acne. Thank you so much!

  7. Green Press says:

    Great article, thanks for sharing. I choose to stay clear of dairy as it’s not designed for human consumption.

  8. Pat says:

    Great blog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the
    same topics talked about here? I’d really love to
    be a part of online community where I can get responses from other knowledgeable
    people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me
    know. Thanks!

  9. laura con says:

    Since you are a teenager – zits are occasionally normal. Here’s what worked my for my 3 kids who all had acne problems at some point i their lives. We swear by two products in our household:

    – ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear sunscreen. a little goes a long way, this keeps your skin moist and protected. (oil free if possible**) this also prevents a lot of upcoming skin concerns.

    -Citrus Clear has a Grapefruit Spot Treatment that you can use throughout the day when your skin is oily. My teens used this about 2-3x per day and it worked great on any pimples that came out. They were gone in 1-2 days.

  10. Ann says:

    I simply loOoOOove krisCarr.com Very important information to share ^_^

  11. Joanna says:

    I am 34 years old, and my best feature has always been my complexion. When I started graduate school I started drinking coffee regularly. What did I put in my coffee? well, milk and sugar of course. For over 10 years prior to grad school I rarely drank coffee and absolutely never drank milk. Now, my forehead is absolutely covered in acne. The dermatologist believes it’s due to a hormonal imbalance….I think, possibly from the dairy intake. Anyways, I can’t handle it anymore. It’s gross to look at and I’m too old to have bad acne. I’m getting off the milk and will hope for the best. Fingers crossed.

  12. Adam Antao says:

    Really helpful post for people who is suffering from acne, you can try alternative medicine Like Natural Detoxification Products one of which i know is Ayur Glow Radiance, i also tried this medicine & u can purchase from nariveda.com and its very affordable, its ayurvedic so its also cause no harm to your body 🙂

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