18 replies to this topic

[5ive]

I am using not having dairy products as an example. I mean, to the general public this would be considered a severely lacking, crappy diet.

But yet, I know quite a few people with unhealthy, lacking in nutrients diets with clear skin (but still get acne from time to time). Of course they may be more intolerant to triggers, but I wonder if some are just as intolerant to milk as I am but they just don't drink it.

People who eat like "crap" are just not getting the nutrients and hormones needed to get acne.

So in a way, people's ideas of "healthy" may be a double-edged sword; you actually may be giving your body the nutrients it needs to give you acne.

No doubt, I would rather be healthy and not break out than unhealthy. But I think it's fully possible to be acne prone and have an "unhealthy" diet and not break out.

My friend eats McDonalds quite a bit and has huge meals that are full of fats and carbohydrates. But he doesn't drink milk. He's generally undernourished but I realize this is one component of his diet that is severely lacking. And he has clear skin! Sometimes he breaks out so he is prone.

I would just love to serve him 3 glasses of skim milk a day and see what happens!

Edited by 5ive, 30 April 2012 - 01:07 PM.

[tritonxiv]

If an acne / diet connection even exists, it's extremely personal to each individual. There is no hard / fast rule that works for everyone. I searched for a long time, trying to cut out / add many different things with no results.

I doubt adding 3 glasses of milk will do anything positive, assuming he can even digest milk in the first place. (most people can't)

Edited by tritonxiv, 29 April 2012 - 11:23 AM.

[ihatemyskin94]

its not the food, its the persons body/digestive system. its all about how ones body can properly digest the food, thats why most people (including me) get acne when they eat junk food or proccessed food because they are very hard to digest, unlike when i eat natural food like fruits and vegetables i dont get acne because they are not proccessed and easy for the body. it all depends on each individual.

[tritonxiv]

its not the food, its the persons body/digestive system. its all about how ones body can properly digest the food, thats why most people (including me) get acne when they eat junk food or proccessed food because they are very hard to digest, unlike when i eat natural food like fruits and vegetables i dont get acne because they are not proccessed and easy for the body. it all depends on each individual.

Actually, this is completely backwards. Processed foods are digested much quicker than whole foods, fruits, and vegetables. In fact, our body cannot even properly digest most vegetables. This is why blending is such a healthy way to get your vegetable nutrients. The blender does the majority of the work for our body, so the nutrients can be fully absorbed by the digestive system.

[Omnivium]

You are not making much sense. If you think milk is considered healthy, it depends who considers it healthy. If you think it is common knowledge, well, common knowledge is pretty dumb. Cow milk is not an essential part of our diet. Humans went hundreds of thousands of years without drinking cow milk, and we only began drinking it very recently. We don't need it.

People who eat like "crap" are just not getting the nutrients and hormones needed to get acne.

How could you make a claim like this? What nutrients are "needed" for acne? Nutritional deficiencies can worsen acne, but getting essential nutrients from a healthy diet does not cause acne. People who eat like crap get more hormones that cause acne. Dairy increases IGF-1. Sugar and starch increase insulin, which increases androgens. People who eat a healthy diet will have less androgens and more SHBG(which is a good thing).

[alternativista]

You are not making much sense. If you think milk is considered healthy, it depends who considers it healthy. If you think it is common knowledge, well, common knowledge is pretty dumb. Cow milk is not an essential part of our diet. Humans went hundreds of thousands of years without drinking cow milk, and we only began drinking it very recently. We don't need it.

People who eat like "crap" are just not getting the nutrients and hormones needed to get acne.

How could you make a claim like this? What nutrients are "needed" for acne? Nutritional deficiencies can worsen acne, but getting essential nutrients from a healthy diet does not cause acne. People who eat like crap get more hormones that cause acne. Dairy increases IGF-1. Sugar and starch increase insulin, which increases androgens. People who eat a healthy diet will have less androgens and more SHBG(which is a good thing).

I agree. I couldn't make any sense of it. And of course it's far more likely that it's nutrient deficiencies cause your acne. It's possible you could eat too much of a nutrient, but really unlikely. Iodine for those sensitive to it for example.

[5ive]

I guess it may not make much sense, I'm just trying to rationalize why people who don't get enough nutrients from various food sources don't get acne. There is the obvious that maybe diet doesn't affect them as much as me, but I am stretching the diet and acne connection to its breaking point.

There are so many people who eat really well with whole foods, such as myself before, and get acne. But when I cut out these supposedly healthy foods, in particular milk, I completely cleared up. I am also speaking from the point of view that milk is considered a healthy food, as we are made to believe.


On the other hand, I could've not cared about what I ate and just have been malnourished and not have had any trouble with acne as I wouldn't be drinking milk. Although, it sounds backwards and probably wouldn't work! Maybe because I am acne prone I do need those nutrients and vitamins, but I guess I will never know.

Still, an epidemiological study would be nice, hence why I want my malnourished friend to drink 3 glasses a day!

Edited by 5ive, 29 April 2012 - 02:21 PM.

[dejaclairevoyant]

The problem is, unhealthy junk foods are usually filled with soy and gluten and what not, which are just as much acne triggers as milk is for many people.

Also, I don't think anyone really considers milk a "healthy" food except those who follow a very mainstream way of thinking and have never really looked into it for themselves. Unless you mean raw milk.

[alternativista]

I guess it may not make much sense, I'm just trying to rationalize why people who don't get enough nutrients from various food sources don't get acne.

The same reason why many people in the world who eat very healthy also don't get acne. Because they are not genetically prone to getting acne.

Things different in acne prone skin: http://www.acne.org/...cne-prone-skin/

Edited by alternativista, 30 April 2012 - 09:29 AM.

[tritonxiv]

There is another factor to be considered. It's been proven that fasting reduces acne.

Nutrient deficiency not only improves acne, it also makes you live longer. The ridiculous portion size in western countries is far more harmful than what's in actual diet, imo. If we all ate less of whatever we are eating, there would be positive benefits all around.

[alternativista]

^Hey, look at that. He said something valid and helpful. Almost. The nutrient deficiency part is all wrong.

And for those interested in that, which you all should be, see the Intermittent Fasting thread.
http://www.acne.org/...e-way-to-do-it/

Intermittent fasting improves glucose metabolism, promotes the recycling of tissues, may specifically reduce hyperkeratinization and may also boost progesterone. And much much more. We are not supposed to have plenty to eat all the time. Going hungry once in a while is important.

Edited by alternativista, 30 April 2012 - 10:02 AM.

[tritonxiv]

You're right. It is reduction of excess calories, not nutrients, at least in terms of studies based on longer lifespans. But the nature of fasting would require both nutrients and calories to be deficient, and of course we aren't 100% sure which the acne is responding to in terms of fasting. Unless there's a study which tries to isolate both variables.

The intermittent fasting is something I used to do naturally. (I never ate more than one meal a day for a long time) But it didn't help me in terms of acne. (But nothing seems to help my acne, so that point is probably moot) Also, it isn't practical for most busy active people, who require a constant stream of energy to get them through their day.

Edited by tritonxiv, 30 April 2012 - 10:27 AM.

[5ive]

I used to do intermittent fasting too naturally until I started becoming interested in optimal health and kept reading everywhere that "BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY." So I would force myself to eat. Cause that's what apparently "boosted" my metabolism, prevented starvation mode and made my body more efficient.

Well, it takes 72 hours for your body to start having starvation mode. And guess what? Our bodies were designed to go lengths of time without food. So this is all complete rubbish. Probably funded by the same jokers who tell you to drink milk.

I did the whole breakfast thing for a bit, but now I just said screw that and just started eating when I was hungry. Really, I found no difference. Maybe more energy levels.

And I just found I naturally fast for 12 hours which we are learning is quite healthy. Sometimes I try to make it 14 but by then I get some discomfort. I found fasting helps with my aesthetic, I'm loving the way I'm looking lately. And yes, I found I'm still not breaking out!

[DaftFrost]

Yea fasting is good for you. It's giving your digestive organs a break for them to rest and heal. It takes lots of energy to digest certain foods too, which decreases mental performance, which is why spiritual teachers fast to reach higher consciousness.

[alternativista]

I used to do intermittent fasting too naturally until I started becoming interested in optimal health and kept reading everywhere that "BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY." So I would force myself to eat. Cause that's what apparently "boosted" my metabolism, prevented starvation mode and made my body more efficient.

Well, it takes 72 hours for your body to start having starvation mode. And guess what? Our bodies were designed to go lengths of time without food. So this is all complete rubbish. Probably funded by the same jokers who tell you to drink milk.

I did the whole breakfast thing for a bit, but now I just said screw that and just started eating when I was hungry. Really, I found no difference. Maybe more energy levels.

And I just found I naturally fast for 12 hours which we are learning is quite healthy. Sometimes I try to make it 14 but by then I get some discomfort. I found fasting helps with my aesthetic, I'm loving the way I'm looking lately. And yes, I found I'm still not breaking out!

But the studies that demonstrated that intermittent fasting could produce the same benefits as calorie restriction involved 16 hour fasts or alternating days of minimal calories.

[Vanbelle]

In response to the original post:

It's the basic scientific method. You've made a few observations that propose questions, which generated a testable hypothesis based on a hypothetical mechanism from your observations. A good hypothesis worth testing needs very compelling observation, and typically without pre-existing mechanisms that wholly squander your hypothesis.

In reality, other hypotheses far more more compelling than yours are continually being tested on the boards with some simple n=1 experimentation. So no one will take this seriously.

But, instead of labeling foods as "nutrients" that could be causing acne, just call them foods. Or call them molecules. Who cares. There's an incredible list of foods/chemicals/molecules where YMMV (your mileage may vary). And it's all dependent on the person, specific food and so on.

However, this hypothesis already exists and it's called food intolerance.

To further clarify, nutrients are labeled as such to connote being good for the body. I think you mean that "health" foods containing nutrients also may contain other things that are bad for you...and again, everyone knows this. Just take a look at the threads on lectins (not all lectins are bad I should note, but certain ones).

I don't understand what you mean by the skinny milk thing. Oi vey.

Edited by Vanbelle, 15 May 2012 - 06:53 PM.

[Riddled]

I commend your bravery to post that milk is healthy on these boards.Sacrilege if i ever heard it. Forget about your face, go wash your mouth out with that soap.


When i eat lots of veg [and fruit] and fat (no pufa fats [vegetable fats etc] ). My acne tends to get worse.

When i eat a diet generally considered crappy; low fat dairy, processed carbohydrates etc. My acne doesn't get worse if anything it's better.

One of the only foods i am almost certain doesn't affect me acne wise and i can also digest well is low fat dairy.

How well understood is nutrition? Gluten, casein, peptides, pufas, salicylates, lectins, nightshades etc etc. It never ends.

Are diet/nutrition [hence digestion] and acne even possibly correlated ? [for everyone anyone]

[sherrinblue]

no one can eat junk food and gets away with it....soon we're all accountable for our actions in one way or another. Acne may not be the direct result of a poor diet, but it'll effect your health in one form or another.