Can Diet Cause Acne Breakouts?

I’ll bet you’ve heard all the theories:  chocolates, refined starch and sugar, fatty foods and even dairy products have been accused of causing or worsening teen acne. 

While diet does play a role in the aggravation of acne it is not solely responsible for the teenage acne nightmare.  There is still some disagreement over this issue. 

Some medical practitioners believe that diet plays a large role in causing acne, while others feel it’s not that important.  So what’s the truth?

Acne is caused mainly by hormonal changes that are triggered by puberty.  Testosterone levels increase and this causes the skin lubricating sebaceous glands to over-produce oil. 

Bacteria accumulate in the skin’s hair follicles and this causes the skin to become inflamed; causing a build-up of pus.  This process is still the main cause of acne breakouts in teens. 

Stress, menstrual cycles and the tissue quality of the person affected can all contribute to the formation or worsening of teen acne.

So, does diet make any difference at all? Let’s take a look at the foods most commonly implicated in the aggravation of acne:

Chocolate

Researchers at the U.S. University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy found that there was no evidence to support the claim that chocolate caused or worsened acne. 

Other studies have linked rosacea (an adult type of acne) to some of the substances in chocolate, but it is still not known what causes it and how chocolate is involved.

Fatty Foods

High fat foods have not been found to be linked to teen acne.  However these foods may aggravate your skin.  If this is the case it is best to avoid them as well as any other food which you know worsens your acne.

Processed Foods

According to the U.S. Colorado State University certain refined and processed foods can cause the number of bacteria that cause acne to increase in the body.  These foods included white bread, pizza, pastries and cakes. 

When these foods are eaten, the body makes more insulin which increases the amount of testosterone in the body.  This increase in male hormones aggravates acne. 

The test needs to be verified and expanded to find out exactly to what degree processed foods are involved in the causation of acne.

Fruit and Veggies

It’s not only acne prone teens that need to eat a healthy, balanced diet.  Everybody should be eating a variety of fruits and vegetables each and every day. 

This will keep the mind and body healthy and reduce the likelihood of any imbalance which could lead to acne breakouts and scarring. 

Every time you have a bout of acne your body’s natural antioxidants (substances that help the body fight infection and aging) become depleted. 

This means that you need to replenish them daily.  Important antioxidants are:

Vitamin A

When it comes to acne treatments Vitamin A is very important.  Not only will eating it result in less sebum production, but it will also improve the general condition of the skin. 

It’s important not to take too much Vitamin A.  Since it is stored in the liver, too much can become toxic to the body.  It is important to take Vitamin E along with Vitamin A to ensure that the Vitamin A in the body is regulated. .

Dairy products, green, yellow and orange vegetables and deep yellow and orange fruit are all good sources of Vitamin A.  Eat them with vitamin E rich foods such as poultry, seafood, seeds and nuts.

Zinc

Zinc supplements can also help with acne breakouts.

General Dietary Guidelines

Everybody needs to eat a diet rich in a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables, some proteins, complex carbohydrates and other foods that make up a well-balanced diet. 

It may not be possible to heal acne with diet alone, but a good diet can go a long way towards keeping the body and skin healthy and that can mean fewer breakouts and less scarring when one does occur. 

Combined with a holistic acne treatment and a positive attitude your acne may soon be a thing of the past!