The last few days I have spent going through all clinical studies/trials regarding acne and Omega-3 fats, iodine, antioxidants, chocolate, calorie intake, fatty/oily food, digestion, and zinc. Adding to this what I have learned regarding dairy and glycemic load, I’m sorry to say that nothing stands out for me as a smoking gun when it comes to diet and acne. We simply don’t have enough research yet, and nothing feels super compelling to me at this point. However, at least researchers are looking into how diet may affect acne, so hopefully by the next time I review the literature, the evidence available to the scientific community will start taking shape. In the meantime, based on digesting everything the research community has to offer regarding diet and acne, here is what I am personally going to do as far as diet goes:

1.  Keep taking fish oil and eating wild delicious sushi  I take 4 fish oil pills per day to make up for my Western-style diet, which like almost everyone living in modern society, is overly rich in Omega-6 fats from vegetable oils, grains, etc. There is enough evidence to persuade me of the overall health benefits of Omega-3s and I feel good taking fish oil regardless of whether or not it may be helping with my skin. Also, when I go out to eat, I specifically ask whether the fish or sushi on the menu is wild. Farm raised seafood is far inferior in Omega-3s and other nutrition than wild seafood.

2.  Keep taking a zinc supplement. Having dived deeper into the role of zinc, I am still convinced that it is likely an important nutrient when it comes to combating inflammation and keeping bacteria in check. I’ll keep taking my 30mg per day.

3.  Not worry about iodine, chocolate, fatty/oily food. I’ll keep eating seaweed salad and seafood (contain iodine).  There exists no evidence showing that the amounts of iodine consumed in these foods is in any way detrimental for acne. Based on the available evidence, I’ll also continue eating a little dark chocolate every day without worrying about how my skin will react. I will also keep eating the occasional naughty greasy meal without fear.

4.  Try to be generally healthy. Antioxidants are important calming agents in the body, and eating antioxidant-rich colorful fruits and vegetables is fun and tasty anyway. When it comes to glycemic load, whether or not scientists know if it will help with acne yet, I’ll try to keep my meals balanced with carbs, fat, and protein to keep my energy and mood level and avoid crashes.

A full update to the diet and acne page of acne.org is on its way with much more information on each of the above mentioned topics. In the meantime, when you look at the evidence at hand, eating healthy and in moderation will suffice as a general wrap up for what we know regarding diet and acne at this point. Not exactly a Eureka moment.

If you eat a high glycemic diet with foods like white bread, sugary soda, white potatoes, and white rice, you will experience insulin spikes. This we know. What we don’t know (sorry Josh) is whether this sort of diet will directly affect acne.

Scientists hypothesize that a high glycemic diet and its resulting insulin reaction will result in higher levels of hormones (IGF-1 and androgens) which may contribute to clogged pores and increased skin oil production.

When it comes to high glycemic diets in particular, scientists also postulate that eating this way may lower the amount of beneficial proteins (IGFBP-3) and natural retinoids, which help keep skin cell growth in check and pores from becoming clogged.

However, as is becoming customary in my research on diet and acne, we do not have enough research to make any strong correlations. The only 2 studies which have been done on glycemic load and acne have been performed by the same group of Australian researchers, led by Robin Smith, and while acne lesion counts appear to reduce on low glycemic diets, results are inconclusive. What stands out most sharply is the lingering question of whether glycemic load leads to decreased acne symptoms or whether it is the weight loss that tends to go hand in hand with this sort of diet that causes the reduction in acne. To answer this question, we need data on whether a reduction in acne symptoms is sustained after weight loss has leveled off. Until then, I’m happy that the scientific community is at least starting to investigate.

Thanks for voting for what you guys wanted me to concentrate my acne research on. The last I looked at the poll results diet and acne was winning. Now I see that scars have a few more votes. Well, scars will be next. But first, let’s delve into diet and acne. In fact, let’s get deep and dirty and nitty gritty with it shall we? Yes? Great, then we shall I’ve read every published trial and review of literature since 2008 regarding diet and acne there is good news and bad news.

Good news: Scientists are all over it! No longer is diet and acne relegated to a back seat. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2010), “…it is evident that dermatologists can no longer dismiss the association between diet and acne…In light of the last decade of research investigating the relationship between diet and acne, it is no longer dermatologic dogma to state that any association between diet and acne is mere myth.” In other words, researchers are conducting studies and we’re getting interesting data.

Bad news: The data is still spotty and almost all of the recent studies come with serious “design limitations” as they call them. An example of a design limitation is researchers relying on subjects’ personal recollection of their diet habits instead of actually watching what they eat. Another example of a design limitation is trusting subjects to define for themselves whether they have “acne” instead of employing a professional to count lesions across a study cohort. In other words, we can’t trust the data that’s coming out yet. We need more trials, and better trials, before we make conclusions.

Um, a little more bad news: Because pharmaceutical companies do not make money from educating the public on diet, funding for diet and acne studies is sparse. But hey, even without the pharmaceutical companies, we’re seeing a resurgence of interest in the topic of diet and acne.

My gut feeling on the subject: Regardless of whether some hunter/gatherer tribes do not have acne, it is literally impossible for us to go back to a hunter/gatherer way of living, and for real concrete answers to acne, we’ll have to include diet as only one piece of a much larger puzzle. As much as I would love for it to happen, I don’t think we’re going to find a magic bullet. I don’t think we’ll find a super bad food or food group which we’re all eating which is causing acne. I also don’t think educating people to “eat right” and “low glycemic” will clear people up to the degree any of us want.

I’ll keep updating the blog with specifics regarding some diet and acne subtopics like dairy, glycemic load, iodine, etc. for the next few updates. Hopefully with all of us wading deep into the muck of the latest research we can pool our minds and get food working for us as much as possible.

For years I’ve been hoping to find a natural way to cure acne from the root. While some things help (zinc for instance), I’m starting to think there may be no silver bullet. Instead, I wonder if a cocktail approach might prove more effective. Here’s my gut read on what a natural cocktail, if indeed there were one, might consist of:

Sun: Yes, this might be controversial, but I think we might not be getting enough sun. We make vitamin D through our skin, and as homo sapiens we are literally made to be in the sun. The darker the skin, the more we need it. I tend to think that limited exposure on a regular basis may be beneficial for a wide variety of conditions. My gut also tells me that responsible sun exposure is going to be more beneficial than vitamin D supplementation. I personally try to get some sun each day around lunch time–15 minutes front, 15 minutes back–and I feel generally healthier because of it. I keep my face covered, but if I weren’t so vain about wrinkles, I might expose my face as well and see how that affects acne. I am certain from personal experience that over-exposure will bite back with acne because a sun burn is skin damage, but light exposure on a daily basis intrigues me.

Oxygen: Each and every one of our cells need oxygen to live, and as land dwelling animals we obviously need oxygen to survive. I am looking into how oxygen specifically affects the causes of acne. I have a sneaking suspicion that oxygen, or the lack thereof, may play a part in acne formation. Could deep breathing or oxygen therapy help? We’ll see.

Greens/Food: Eating a natural diet makes sense. Emerging research hints toward a potential diet and acne link, but we simply do not have enough research to draw any conclusions. Common sense tells us that eating fruits, veggies, and perhaps real, organic meat in low quantities is the way to go.

Touch/Tribal Community: Stress and acne are related. Also, our hormone levels are intricately connected with acne formation. Touch and love mediate our stress levels and help keep our stress hormones in check. My gut tells me that if modern society valued touched more, we might see less acne. Also, we are tribal animals and are much happier when we are a valued part of a group. While modern society seems to have strayed from this way of living since the Industrial Revolution, perhaps there are still ways of getting that supportive feeling in our lives (choir, clubs, groups, practicing unconditional love).

Exercise: Our blood is what brings nutrients to all of our cells. Exercise gets the blood flowing and improves nutrient delivery. Exercise also is a giant part of keeping stress in check. It just makes common sense that we need to get the blood going on a regular basis.

Supplementation: We may be quite simply too far from our hunter/gatherer roots to get an appropriate amount of sun, non-contaminated food, and the sense of belonging that comes from living in close knit tribes. So, we may need to supplement with appropriate vitamins (Vitamin D and fish oil for example), and make a point to fit good food, touch, and community into our lives in convenient, modern ways.

So what do you guys think? Check in with your gut. Do you think if all of the above were dialed in, you’d have less of a battle with acne?

Cool news you guys. I’ve been working with Daniel, our intern, as well as a statistician, and a well known doctor to put together a “prospective dietary trial” on milk and acne. What is a “prospective dietary trial”? Well, it means basically that we’re going to ask people on Acne.org to stop eating and drinking dairy and to fill out surveys and take pictures to document changes in their acne symptoms. If we get enough people to volunteer and follow through, it could be seminal research on the topic. Pretty darn cool.

Daniel, our intern, has been amazing with all of this–big shout out to him. He’s basically running the show. But all of us can be involved too! I’ve decided to be a candidate for the study, which will be hard because it will mean no pizza, but I’ll do it in the name of science! I’ll let you all know when this starts and when you can sign up.

Hey you guys. This video took forever to edit and upload. It’s pretty long so be prepared. Kent worked really hard on it

I just watched the video and realized I am talking about eating a ton of carbs and dairy and sugar. I have an inkling that this might not be great for acne, although the research still doesn’t show it definitively. I just wanted to clarify that I don’t necessarily recommend this diet to people who are in the throws of acne. Eating low glycemic and sensibly is most likely the most prudent way to go. Having said that, hey, it’s the holidays and we’re probably all going to cheat a little, so that’s understandable.