Many people today suffer from acne. And when I say many people, I mean in the hundreds of millions. Acne is a widespread condition that affects people from all walks of life. To better understand how to deal with this horribly embarrassing skin condition, it helps to understand the relationship, if any, between the food you eat, and your skin.
In order to understand whether or not any particular food can have an impact on acne, and the creation of pimples, it helps to understand how they are formed. Acne is formed when a pore, which is shared by both a hair follicle and a couple of sebum producing sebaceous glands gets clogged for some reason or another. The sebum, which is still produced, causes a great deal of pressure, which, among other things, can lead to acne. This oil, or sebum, is required for good skin condition.
What is likely the most widespread ideas about food and acne is that chocolate is linked to acne somehow.. Lots of people are under the impression that if you eat too much chocolate, it can cause acne. This is false. There has never been any scientific studies which show this, nor has their been any sound theories as to why this should be the case.
Another widely held belief is that greasy food, or foods high in fat such as french fries, potato chips and other fried foods can lead to acne. Again, this is false. Oil from food is completely different that the oil that comes out of your glands. The only likely connection would be if you cooked potato chips or french fries for a living, and due to the working conditions, you perspired quite frequently, and in turn clogged up your pores that way. So this too, may in fact be a myth.
The only potential between food and the occurrence of acne is dairy products. Most dairy products today contain at least some amount of growth hormones. Some of these hormones, is it is believed by some, can have a negative effect on your sebaceous glands. Bear in mind that this is only a theory, and studies have not been conclusive.
On the other side of the coin, there is a growing amount of evidence linking an increase in Vitamins E, C, and A with a decrease in acne, and an increase in clear healthy skin. While this is still inconclusive, it has long been known that Vitamin E applied topically, does indeed have several positive skin conditions. So if you are to change any of your eating habits, I would recommend going easy on the dairy products, and eating more foods that contain E, A and C.
In order to understand whether or not any particular food can have an impact on acne, and the creation of pimples, it helps to understand how they are formed. Acne is formed when a pore, which is shared by both a hair follicle and a couple of sebum producing sebaceous glands gets clogged for some reason or another. The sebum, which is still produced, causes a great deal of pressure, which, among other things, can lead to acne. This oil, or sebum, is required for good skin condition.
What is likely the most widespread ideas about food and acne is that chocolate is linked to acne somehow.. Lots of people are under the impression that if you eat too much chocolate, it can cause acne. This is false. There has never been any scientific studies which show this, nor has their been any sound theories as to why this should be the case.
Another widely held belief is that greasy food, or foods high in fat such as french fries, potato chips and other fried foods can lead to acne. Again, this is false. Oil from food is completely different that the oil that comes out of your glands. The only likely connection would be if you cooked potato chips or french fries for a living, and due to the working conditions, you perspired quite frequently, and in turn clogged up your pores that way. So this too, may in fact be a myth.
The only potential between food and the occurrence of acne is dairy products. Most dairy products today contain at least some amount of growth hormones. Some of these hormones, is it is believed by some, can have a negative effect on your sebaceous glands. Bear in mind that this is only a theory, and studies have not been conclusive.
On the other side of the coin, there is a growing amount of evidence linking an increase in Vitamins E, C, and A with a decrease in acne, and an increase in clear healthy skin. While this is still inconclusive, it has long been known that Vitamin E applied topically, does indeed have several positive skin conditions. So if you are to change any of your eating habits, I would recommend going easy on the dairy products, and eating more foods that contain E, A and C.
SHARE
