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Milk and sugary foods do increase the risk of acne, claims study review

A new report examining more than 50 years of medical research has concluded there is evidence a high-glycemic diet rich in starchy carbohydrates as well as dairy products may have a significant affect on acne.

“This is something I see all the time in my clinical practice,” says Dr. Frances Jang, a Vancouver dermatologist with more than 20 years of clinical experience.

“I came from the school of thought that there was no association, but what I found was that when I told many of my patients to ingest less starchy foods — bagels, muffins, pizza — they could get a better handle on it.”

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The common thinking among dermatologists and other physicians who treat acne today is that there is no a connection between diet and the troublesome skin condition. Experts are pretty much in agreement that fatty, sugary foods are not to blame.

While back in the 1800s doctors and scientists believed foods like chocolate, sugar, and fat were causes of acne, two major studies published in the 1960s changed this way of thinking.

"This change occurred largely because of the results of two important research studies that are repeatedly cited in the literature and popular culture as evidence to refute the association between diet and acne," study co-author Jennifer Burris tells EurekAlert.

Yet this latest report, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is challenging the current way of thinking.

"More recently, dermatologists and registered dietitians have revisited the diet-acne relationship and become increasingly interested in the role of medical nutritional therapy in acne treatment," says Burris.

Burris and her colleagues examined data from studies conducted between 1960 and 2012 that looked at diet and acne, and conclude that a high glycemic diet and frequent dairy consumption were the main links between diet and acne.

The belief is that hormonal fluctuations are triggered by high glycemic foods, and this is thought to instigate sebum production, a key element in acne. The team also found that while research from the past 10 years found diet did not directly cause acne, it did aggravate it.

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Will this study change the way acne is treated?

“I think it might make people pause and wonder, but I don’t think it will dramatically change the way things are done,” says Jang.

She says most dermatologists do not make a connection between diet and acne, and rely mainly on oral and topical treatments. She too uses these treatments, but is hopeful that more physicians prescribing a change of diet will mean a lessened reliance on these other options.

“In this day and age patients want less oral antibiotics so we need to look at other avenues of treatment,” says Jang. “I tell my patients that if they change their diet to a more healthy one, we won’t have to rely so much on all this other stuff.”