Can certain foods influence acne breakouts?

This is a question that has been debated among dermatologists for decades and is still controversial to this day.  However, there is some new research that deserves mention.  According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, high glycemic index foods, such as sugary cakes, white bread, white rice and pasta, have been shown to exacerbate acne.  The reasons haven’t been proven, but there is some evidence that a molecule called insulin like-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is involved.  IGF-1 levels are spiked when sugary foods are eaten, which alters other hormone levels that can flare acne. In addition to sugary foods, skim milk has also been shown to flare acne (in susceptible men).  In other words, some people experience breakouts after drinking skim milk, but others don’t.  Researchers believe that it is caused by either the actual hormones in milk or due to the processing skim milk goes through during production.  This production process lowers the estrogen content in the milk, which tends to flare acne.  Since men produce less estrogen than women at baseline, skim milk usually flares acne in men more often than women.  Although there are very few studies on this subject, omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil supplements, flaxseed, walnuts and salmon, have been shown to decrease acne flares, possibly by regulating the amount of inflammation that is in the skin around pimples.  In general, a person experiencing acne flares should consider the role of their diet influencing their skin health. Given that everyone’s skin is slightly different, keeping a record (ie:  a food diary) of the relationship between eating certain foods and skin breakouts can go a long way toward awareness of the relationship and avoiding that food in the future.