(04-04-11) Diet helps combat acne

by Danna Norek

(NaturalNews) Too many teens and adults with acne have been misled when it
comes to acne and their diet. Many dermatologists and doctors still advise
their patients that diet has nothing to do with acne. They usually prescribe
drugs that can have harmful long term effects, rather than educate patients
about lifestyle and diet choices which naturally treat acne.

While it is true that some people have a tendency toward acne prone skin, diet
also plays a much larger role than you might be led to believe. In fact, many
people have completely cleared their acne by following specific diets and have
avoided the need for any traditional medications.

The root cause of acne is actually an excessive production of androgens.
Androgens are male hormones which cause the body to produce too much sebum, or
oil. When the skin produces too much sebum, the pores become infected and
inflamed. This is because debris and bacteria get trapped in the pores, causing
acne lesions, cysts and even painful boils. It is this excessive androgen
production that you can control through your dietary choices.

Your blood sugar levels are directly tied to the delicate balance of hormones
in your body. Surges in blood sugar actually trigger these androgen hormones to
produce in abundance. Think of it as a domino effect, since your diet choices
start the chain reaction which ultimately leads to acne breakouts.

Foods that help to keep your blood sugar stable are low fat meats (hormone
free preferred), nuts such as walnuts and almonds, fish, whole grains and even
certain spices such as cinnamon and cloves. The foods which you should avoid
are the ones that are typically categorized as low in glycemic impact.

Glycemic impact simply refers to the effect that a specific food has on your
blood sugar, or insulin levels. Some examples of high glycemic impact foods are
white bread, white rice, potatoes, many types of cereal, cake, candy and other
sweets.

If you already have skin that is prone to breakouts, eating foods which are
not conducive to stable blood sugar levels will make your breakouts much worse.
This is not to say that you can`t enjoy the occasional piece of candy or a
baked potato. However, it is to your advantage to keep these types of foods to
a minimum in your diet. It is also advantageous to make sure that any breads,
pastas and starches are made with whole grains.

Whole grains have a lower glycemic impact, and therefore a lower hormonal
impact, than refined grains. This is because they hit the blood stream at a
much more controlled pace than refined grains.

Taking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar has been touted as a great way
to keep blood sugar levels stable for hours. Another trick is to take a
teaspoon of fiber or ground flax seeds. The fiber helps to slow the absorption
of the high sugar foods into the blood stream, therefore lessening their
overall glycemic impact.

Sources :

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsw...

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.