15 replies to this topic

[Dotty1]

A few weeks ago, I made a post that a very low-fat low-protein diet cleared my skin -- the first time in 12 years. Most people didn't believe me. I've kept a low profile since then and have been monitoring my diet.

My skin has been clear for almost 2 months while keeping this diet. I finally broke it by eating a ton of protein (tofu) with friends. 24 hours have passed and every insignificant unnoticable spot on my face has become inflamed, red and painful. Even a canker sore in my mouth has made my lip swell.

The last time I tested this hypothesis was with a big bowl of lentil soup (FULL of protein) (I'd been keeping a low-protein diet). That was over 6 weeks ago. Within 24 hours after that soup, I had 3 infected pimples. If I popped one, it became even worse. It was suggested on this board that I might have had an allergy to lentils. Now I know that I have the same result with tofu. And meat. Within 12 hours after eating meat or eggs, the inflammation was so bad that I needed ice packs. I thought I had an allergy to meat (I thought it was the growth hormones/antibiotics or something).

Its 12 midnight and I was thinking in bed. I decided to research "Protein and Inflammation" and found that physicians do indeed know that a medium to high protein diet causes inflammation to increase by 62%:

"Watch your protein. High-protein diets boost inflammation, found the Fleming Heart and Health Institute in Omaha. In people on a high-protein diet for a year, blood vessel inflammation jumped 62% and coronary artery disease worsened."
http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030309...09eatsmart.html

If any of you notice that a pimple gets infected if you merely scratch it... or that you have lots of infections on your face, this may indeed help you. It has greatly helped me.

The effects of a high protein diet seem to show themselves within 12-24 hours after consumption and disappears within 4-7 days after avoiding large quantities of protein ----- so even if you eat a large quantity of protein just once a week, it "appears" that you continually have infections or zits that get easily inflammed. Also, it isn't very hard to see if this diet cuts your inflammation because the entire thing takes only 1 week.

Note: A low-protein diet is not unhealthy. Protein is found in every food (even in whole grain bread =P) and there is not one person who has ever died from "lack of protein" in the history of America.

Note #2: I've found that for me, avoiding large quantities of protein stops inflammation and infections.... while avoiding large quantities of fats (oil, avacados, fried foods) brought blackheads/whiteheads and clogged pores to a halt (I read a book that said a low-fat diet restores insulin sensitivity).

I cant argue the why's and how's. I'm not a doctor. I'm just sharing my results.

[thunder_cloud]

I highly doubt protein in itself has any negative effect on acne. Protein is essential for all kinds of functions in the body. Have you considered that maybe your body is not producing the necessary digestive enzymes to break down protein and fat, and that is the reason they are causing you problems.

[AutonomousOne1980]

In people on a high-protein diet for a year, blood vessel inflammation jumped 62% and coronary artery disease worsened.

these are loose correlations, correlations do not prove causation, in fact causation is really hard to prove most of the time which is why science just takes so god damn long, in other words take this statement very lightly, there could be some truth to it but nothing conclusive enough to justify changing your diet.


if anything, the stress you go through with having acne would suggest you increase your protein, based on the premise that when you are stressed your body burns amino acids for energy leaving less to repair tissue and make neurotransmitters.


but you know what, if this is truly why you are clear, or it is merely another correlation, then you have made quite a groundbreaking discovery, but im not to sure that is the case either.

[Danny©]

These studies should discriminate more.
For example if these people have been eating lot of meat the conclusion might be that the extra proteins caused the inflammation while it's more likely the arachidonic acid did. Anyway I do think too much protein doesn't do the body good but that applies to too little protiens as well.

[bob111]

I am totally opposite. I've been eating extremely high protein and fat diet with low carbohydrate intake. My inflammation is reduced significantly. One day I ate a shit load of spaghetti and had a Cyst within 12 hours.

I think high carbs cause inflammation.

[EaZy]

fuck I just a ate i bowl of lentils and a couple pieces of pizza.

[Danny©]

I am totally opposite. I've been eating extremely high protein and fat diet with low carbohydrate intake. My inflammation is reduced significantly. One day I ate a shit load of spaghetti and had a Cyst within 12 hours.

I think high carbs cause inflammation.

Well, you can't determine inflamation just by looking at your skin.
It's far less simplistic than that. Most inflamation is silent to begin with and can only be
detecte with blood tests.

[rakbs]

I finally broke it by eating a ton of protein (tofu) with friends. 24 hours have passed and every insignificant unnoticable spot on my face has become inflamed, red and painful. Even a canker sore in my mouth has made my lip swell.

The last time I tested this hypothesis was with a big bowl of lentil soup (FULL of protein) (I'd been keeping a low-protein diet).

Did you ever consider that maybe you're sensitive to legumes, not protein?

[Dotty1]

I get the inflamation when I eat eggs and meat, too. When I was on an almost pure meat diet, I had SO much inflammation that I used ice packs (hundreds of zits would pop up, canker sores, and any scrape turned into an infection). So its not an allergy to lentils. However, I can eat a LITTLE protein each day of (1 tablespoon) of meat, eggs or tofu or large quantities of cheese... but more than that causes inflammation in every TINY open sore that I happen to have at the time.

I'm wondering if there is a medical condition that causes this?

For those of you have tried everything and have acne/infections ALL the time, you might want to see if this helps you. I've tried EVERYTHING for 12 years, and this is the first time I've been clear.

[alternativista]

Did you ever consider that maybe you're sensitive to legumes, not protein?

Yes, the only proteins ever mentioned are legumes.

Besides, avoiding a high protein diet doesn't mean you need to eat such a low protein diet.

[Dotty1]

I have the same reaction to meat, eggs and large quantities of cheese. =P
Actually, the zits/inflammation arrive even sooner with meat. Tofu's inflammation took 24 hours. But if I eat meat, the zits arrive within 12 hours ---- fast and furious.

[Bad Idea]

It's a huge topic!

Protein pushes up insulin (check out the insulin index) even more than carbs do (G.I) so maybe you are insulin sensitive?

Also, proteins require digestion which means digestive enzymes (which you can deplete on..) and bile is made of protein (taurine..), so the more protein you eat, the more bile you make, the more toxic you are, the more you react to your own bile, if for instance you don't get enough fibre to get rid of that bile.

also not all proteins are equal, some are more bio available than others, which among other things mean that protein reaches the blood slower the less bio available it is which means lower insulin spikes over time..

proteins that can't be digested, ferment, causing bacteria overload, which can be another source of acne, indirectly...

[Dotty1]

And I want to add that although I knew that eating large quantities of protein caused a little inflammation for me (I'd get infected canker sores...etc), I NEVER would have guessed that the large amounts of protein were ACTUALLY causing the pimples and infections on my face. But thats exactly what happens.

I realize no one is the same and each diet is different for every person. I just hope I can help others who might be out there and who are going crazy from chronic skin problems.

[rakbs]

I think I know what your problem is.

Fat is necessary for proper protein assimilation. Take away all fat from your diet, and I'm actually not surprised that protein is giving you problems. Why do you think that animal fat, along with animal protein, is desired so much by pretty much all cultures?

So, in other words, you are starting to see the negative effects of avoiding fat so much. I'm sure your supply of fat-soluble vitamins is also at an all-time low, and the problem is, if you try to supplement these vitamins, you won't even absorb them well.

[ayla]

By Dr. Gordon Chang, Ph.D.



Many chronic problems such as food allergies could be related back to poor digestion. With food allergies small quantities of partially digested foods (e.g. the proteins or carbohydrates) may be absorbed by a process called pinocytosis (where the food particle is absorbed whole without full digestion) and thus act as a stimulus for an allergic response to a particular food. Digestive enzymes taken with meals will supplement the body’s digestive enzymes to ensure a more complete breakdown of the foods. This means that partially digested foods will no longer be present to initiate an immune response. Certain chronic diseases may be related to the quantity of waste products produced by the naturally occurring microflora. If the body is incapable of fully digesting a meal, much of the undigested food will pass into the large intestine from which it will be excreted. However in the colon this extra undigested food can act as a nutrient source for the native microflora thereby encouraging the growth of the bacteria (i.e. increase their number). Normally the body can handle a certain amount of waste products produced by the bacteria. However, if the number of bacteria increases and the individual is undergoing a particularly stressful time, the ability of the body to handle the waste is severely compromised. The net result is the onset of an illness. These illness symptoms can then lead to an increased sensitivity to the waste produced by the microflora leading to a downward spiral. Digestive enzymes will ensure full digestion of the meal and minimize the amount of partially digested food going to the large intestine for the bacteria.

http://www.healthboosters.com/archive/digestive_enzymes.htm

I don't now how often you eat meat/protein - odds are if it makes you feel unwell you avoid it. If you avoid it for long enough, you lack enough of the enzymes to properly digest it. I was a vegetarian for 5 years, then I returned to eating meat. I might as well have been eating cement by the response of my body. It just sat there, undigested, nasty lump. I still don't consume much meat - when I do - papaya enzymes help enormously.

Perhaps what the Doc above says is correct - protein + lack of enzymes = undigested food = allergic reaction. We all now how insanely inflammatory an allergic reaction can be. Hmmm.

Maybe pick up some enzymes to take before and after protein consumption and see if that helps?