First of all I would like to thank you for the always well thought out and useful posts. I always strugle to find the right way to put everyting I find into a post, mainly because I am impatient and can't bother to add 50 links in one comprehensive post like you do.
Now I am going to give my experiences as a critic of many of the food-acne studies and myths and more importantly, as a world traveller. Someone who has acutally been to many 3rd world countries and can make more accurate assumptions than someone who watched a world vision ad and remarks how clear their skin is. Then I'm going to be the devils advocate and ask you one question that I believe is the only cure for acne other than what I went throughwhich is growing out of it or normalizing(Cure meaning self sustaining and permanent but may or may not have to do with food or general health).
Like I said, I have travelled to many, many countries(I am young but have passport books(yes plural), filled with country stamps(Even though many don't do that anymore I stil ask for it). More importantly to this discussion, I have been to all the countries and areas where the population lives the longest (Save for Iceland, but I am going in a few months) and literally dozens of impoverished nations. For the 3rd world countries, let me say that they do have acne. Of course it isn't as prevalent but it is there. However in the place of all the acne they have malaria, thyphiod, worms and other parasites, starvation. When they do eat it is mainly high Gi/Gl foods such as flatbreads and rice. They also eat poor quality foods and yes they aren't filled with pesticides(The ones that aren't aid shipments at least), but they are gorwn in horribly contaminated soil and water from all the disease and pollution. I would also add that the living conditions in the huge 3rd world cities add in so many bloody toxins to thier bodies from every aspect(Air, water, soil, basically everything), that it is amazing that they survive as long as they do. There is so much pollution in Lagos, Bangkok, Mumbai and the like that the insides of my nose usually turned black with all the shit in the air within a day. To go back to the food issue, in these cities they do eat less than we do but eating the local fare is just as high in refined sugars, bad fats, tons of coffee, sugary drinks etc... as a homemade meal over here. It's just different ingredients. With all these bombardments on the system it is amazing that acne isn't more prevalent. If genetics play the biggest role here than kudos to their amazing adaptaion to a harsher assault on the body than that guy who did supersize me.
I realize that many will say well, all these toxins or what not are just maifested in a different way in them such as disease instead of acne, but I don't know. Even in the more affluent areas where disease is not really existant they still eat the same thigns, maybe even more fast food and alcohol, are exposed to better water but just as bad air, foods grown in bad soil quality, etc... and they have acne in the same degree as the people who are extremely poor. What is more is that the backpackers who have been to these places for months and months have clear skin. I have heard women and men remark how ironic it is that they are eating just as bad if not more sketchy foods, are exposed to more alcohol, etc... than back home, yet they look great. This is accross the board and this is coming from people who are prone to acne. I don't get it. Could it be the massave amounts of sun they get(Vit D)? Is it the constant exercise they revieve(Not unusual to walk 4 miles a day to work)? Is it the generally happier attitude they all have despite being in horrible conditions? Their family values? It's as if they have accepted to do the best with what they have, whereas we are always unhappy with where we are, always wanting somethign bigger and better.
Now on the other side of the argument I go to the place of my ancestors and the places where people live the longest(Well they don't come from Japan), Europe. What I see here is a diet high in potaotes in Ireland, high in white rice in Japan, high in saturated fats in France and most of Europe, high in breads of all kinds everywhere as well as dairy products(I realize these people can digest lactose). Oh ya, the thing that is most common here is that they all drink. A lot. Now here is my problem. I talk to these people and their grandparents and parents either never had acne or had mild acne. There always was acne but never the extent as today. What I see is our generation iwth a much higher rate of acne than most other generations. What has changed? They still churn butter and make cheese just as their grandparents did. They stil eat the same amount of red meat as previous generations. If anything they drink less than before. They are exposed to roughly the same quality of soils, the same pollution rates as their parents, the same types of foods in general, etc... yet they have much more acne.
Here is what I see as the difference. They eat more fast food. Butter, cheese, breads, wine, olive oils, fruits and veggies etc.. are the main staple but they are eating more and more fast foods. What is the difference between a saturated fats from the good sources and from McDonalds? Or the effect on insulin between a Big Mac and some milk and cheese with a rack of lam and a good quality beer? What I am getting at is that the fast foods are horrible nutrientwise but as far as affecting the hormone levels it is comparably similar, or should be based on the macronutrient compositions. Well, I suppose the main difference is the trans fats levels. That and people are moving away form a diet high in veggies and fruits.
They are getting less exercise. They are riding public transport more and more instead of walking. They are doing less outdoor sports. They have amazing cities which are perfect for walking, biking, etc... but they are choosing not to in increasing numbers(Maybe the tourists are a pain). I constantly hear thier parents always swam int he ocean constantly, telemarked in the Alps, played footbal every chance they could get.
They are generally more moody and consumption oriented, moving towards our North American Ideals instead of a saving up for something quality and being happy witht he purchase. Depression is on the rise. They are impatient, they are less family oriented, are less optimistic. They are using thier minds less for the arts and more towards pop culture and the media. To put it simply, psychologically they are less well off than previous generations. Again, this is talking to many people my age and their parents and just observing their lives.
The above applies to north american generations as well.
I don't really know where I am going with this except to say that apart from fast foor or processed food in general(Or course bread, cheese, wine, etc.. is processed but you know what I mean, prepackaged foods I suppose although cheese is liek this as well).
It just seems like save for the above, diet is less a factor to acne than overall health. In my observation, 3rd world nations don't have acne, not because of diet but because of genetics, exercise, sun exposure, family and community oriented culture, etc... The opposite applies to the reason I think that first world nations are increasingly getting acne.
yes we are turning to more processed and fast foods, but I don't think it is because of butter, alcohol, breads, dairy(For those that are lactose tolerant), etc... that we have acne, rather it is because we are taking out foods like vegetables, soluble fiber foods, etc... I thikn acne sufferers can still enjoy the above so called bad foods that I mentioned if they also eat lots of the good ones. People are also becoming couch potatoes. A few hours of exercise everyday was considered nothing 50 years ago and before but ask people now to exercise for 1/2 hour 4 times a week and they throw a fit and say it can't be done. Ask people to quit watching the TV, quit playing videogames and start reading books, learing a language or an instrument, spending time with family, etc... and we scoff at the idea. Even things that are meant to enhance us psychologically such as those baby Tv shows and complex toys are shown to be hindering us as they leave no room for imagination. We are going progressing backwards mentally it seems. Einstein and socratese had the learning process right and yet we don't learn from their discoveries. If most knew how he discovered relativity, they would be shocked. That was a bit of a ramble but it all comes down to one of the most important thigns when it comes to acne, mental health.
For me, controlling stress, controlling your moods, basically centering your life around the things that really matters, helps immensely with regards to hormone balances, your immune system, your digestive system, your cardiovascular health and other vital areas that may or may not have to do with acne.
They are saying the french diet is now becoming bad becuase of rising heart disease but that isn't because of the cheese or wine or chocolates, it's because they are moving towards a more unhealthy lifestyle, mentally and physiologically.
I could be totally wrong but for most people I can't see many of the diet-acne connections(Well I can see them but I don't think they play as big a role as some of you do). Of course I can't explain the positive impacts this has had on people like you sweetjade and for these situations it seem like the diet worked.
Finally my solution question. If you are willing to spend so much time on the acne-diet issue, why not address the only real solution to acne, hyperkeratinization? Of all the traits of acne: keratinization, sebum production, inflammation, bacteria etc... why not try to find a cure for the one that could end all acne? You can have oily skin, an excessive inflammation response, either have or not have acne, yet if you have clogged pores you will eventually get a lesion as you can never halt sebum production or bacteria on the face(Nor would you want to), and you always want some inflammation. I think what seperated the acne sufferers from the clear people is the normalization of keratin production and the normalization of keratinization. Once I cleared up, within a month you could never tell I ever had acne. The texture and tone of my skin did a complete reversal and I know it's because of normalizing keratinization. Ifyou could somehow use your amazing investigating skills to search the known information liek you did with diet, I think you could be the one to solve this. Accutane and other retaniods have come theclosest to this but they aren't usually permanent.
I've had some really long posts onmany issues but this is probably the last one that I will do as I have said everything I need to say in this one and in past topics. Congratulations if you made it to the end of this tome.
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