Battling Acne with Nutrition
Acne is an inflammatory skin condition that affects the sebaceous glands of the face, neck, chest and back. It can occur at any age but most often acne is experienced during the teenage years. On average about 80 percent of teenagers will experience acne, which can continue into adulthood.
Symptoms of acne are characterized by blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, inflamed nodules, sacs and cysts. Infection in the pilosebaceous follicle can cause the pores to become permanently dilated and can also lead to severe scarring. Symptoms increase during puberty because hormone changes can affect the sebaceous glands causing excess oils to be produced.
Diet can also cause an increase in acne breakouts and as a nutritionist, I have experienced this first hand.. The main offender in the modern diet is saturated fat. Any diet that is high in saturated fats from animal proteins, cheese and milk can cause the abnormal development of the sebaceous glands. Junk food, like hot dogs, cheeseburgers, french fries, chips, butter, sugar, candy, chocolate and carbonated beverages can increase acne. Most often milk is the greatest cause of acne, due to its high levels of fat.
Certain dietary deficiencies have also been associated with acne. Vitamin B6, zinc and essential fatty acids have all been found to be important to preventing acne breakouts and are usually deficient in people who suffer with acne. Vitamin B6 deficiency is commonly found in women who experience acne related to their menstrual cycle. Zinc has also been found deficient during puberty, when adolescents are growing rapidly.
One of the best, natural ways to battle acne is to eliminate as many saturated fats from your diet as possible. If possible, try and refrain from consuming any saturated fats for 6 to 8 weeks. Eat a very healthy diet consisting of non citrus fruits, raw vegetables juices, salads, cooked vegetables, seaweeds, seeds, nuts and whole grains, in moderation. Seaweed is especially beneficial due to the high iodine content.
For maximum results, dairy products should be eliminated from the diet. However, if eliminating dairy is too difficult to do then consider choosing healthier dairy options. Choose dairy products that have a very low butterfat content. Dried skim milk and evaporated skim milk are two options that have the least butterfat content.
