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All About Acne & Nutrition

 
  • All About Acne & Nutrition
  • September 14, 2011 11:49 AM
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Link to hte full article… Bellow is just a summery
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-acne-nutrition
 
 
What contributes to acne?
 
Thus, anything that clogs pores, and/or creates or worsens infection and inflammation, contributes.
 
The major players in acne production are:
 
-Excessive sebum (oil) production by the skin
 
-Rapid division of skin cells
 
-Delayed skin cell separation and death
 
-Bacteria on the skin surface
 
-Inflammatory response 
 
 
 
The food we eat and our body fat cells play a role in sebum production, hormones, and inflammation. Hormonal changes likely have the greatest influence on acne (think birth control medications, anabolic steroids and puberty).
 
Nutrition: What makes acne worse?
 
-Not enough antioxidant vitamins and minerals
 
-Processed foods
 
-Foods that are highly processed and cooked often contain
compounds that promote oxidative stress and inflammation ]
 
-Dairy
 
-Alcohol
 
-GI dysfunction & gluten
 
 
Nutrition: What makes acne better?
 
Acne is a big deal. While genetics (mom seems to play a bigger role) and ethnicity contribute to acne, it appears that how we live each day matters too.
 
In the U.S., people spend more than $100 million on over-the-counter products to fight acne. Yet many non-Westernized populations have no acne at all.
 
So, you could spend a lot of money on drugs that have
potentially dangerous side effects… or you could change your diet. Changing your diet is a heckuva lot cheaper and safer as a starting point.
 
-Whole plant foods
 
-Calorie restriction
 
-Phytoestrogens
 
-Cocoa
 
-Omega-3 fats
 
-GI health
 
-Pre/Probiotics
 
-Spices
 
-Green tea
 
-Walnuts/almonds
 
-Dark green & purple vegetables/fruits
 
-Free-range organic (or pastured) eggs
 
-Tomatoes
 
-Resveratrol
 
-Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
 
-Zinc & selenium 
  
 
 
 
 
  • RE:All About Acne & Nutrition
  • September 14, 2011 11:53 AM
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Summary and recommendations
 
Acne is complex, and each person is unique. However, there are common factors in cultures that don’t suffer from acne.
 
Use these ideas as your starting point and our  recommendations.
 
-They eat whole, unprocessed foods. All their nutrients come from these foods. They don’t supplement.
 
-They get outside and get sunlight (or, again, consume vitamin D in organ meats).
 
-They often eat fermented foods — foods that are high in beneficial probiotics for gut health.
 
-Except for the Inuit, they eat a lot of unprocessed and/or traditionally prepared plant foods, such as fresh or fermented vegetables and fruits, and grains that are soaked/sprouted/fermented.
 
 
 
-They often eat many fresh herbs and spices, as well as beneficial fungi.
 
-They eat a good balance of unprocessed fats.
 
-They eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from fish, wild game, and even insects and snails. They don’t consume a lot of omega-6s from vegetable or seed oils.
 
-They eat traditionally prepared ground nuts (e.g. peanuts) and tree nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds).
 
-They don’t consume much dairy; if they do, it’s fermented and/or pastured.
 
-They eat as much as possible of any animals consumed: dark and white meat, organ meats, connective tissues, etc.

 
The value of self-experimentation
 
If you struggle with acne, keep a food diary. Look for connections between foods and breakouts — and don’t forget that it might take a day or more for foods to stimulate breakouts.
 
One good experiment is to try doing without wheat, dairy, and sugar for a month to see if it helps. These foods have the strongest associations with acne. Substitute tubers, fruit, and beans/legumes for carbohydrate instead. If that seems like too much, try just one thing at a time.
 
Natural topical treatments
 
-The plant extracts from Azadirachta indica (Neem), Sphaeranthus indicus (Hindi), Hemidesmus indicus (Sarsaparilla), Rubia cordifolia (Common Madder) and Curcuma longa (Turmeric) seem to be anti-inflammatory and might suppress bacteria on the skin that promote acne. Same with topical tea tree oil.
 
-If you’re looking for a cheap vitamin A cream, try egg yolk. Dab it on your skin and leave it for 10 minutes or even overnight. (Just remember to wash it off eventually.)
 
-Chamomile and peppermint tea can soothe skin irritation. Make a strong solution of chamomile and peppermint, swish your face in it, and let it sit for a while on the skin. Plain oatmeal will also calm skin down. (Again, wash it off eventually unless you’re auditioning for a zombie movie.)
 
-Fruit acids and enzymes can give you a natural “glycolic peel”. Next time you throw fruit in your Supershake, wipe your face with the pineapple or squished orange rinds. Seriously. Plain yogurt also works as a topical probiotic and exfoliating acid