Do you have to avoid certain foods when getting rid of acne? The answer may be different from what you think

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology, doctor of medicine, popular science author

Reviewer: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director of PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital), Postgraduate Supervisor

gossip

I believe that many people have had acne, which is either red and swollen, painful, or festering, and even recurs repeatedly, making people exhausted.

In addition to the impact on appearance and mood, some people believe that acne requires various dietary restrictions and they have to say goodbye to delicious food with great pain.

So, is it really impossible to have both acne removal and delicious food?

analyze

Why is illness related to diet?

Let's reflect on why we tend to think that illness is related to diet. When we have acne, we think about not eating the right foods; when we have a cold, we think about not eating the right foods; when we have eczema, we think about not eating the right foods; when we sprain our ankle, get bit by mosquitoes, get burned, etc., we even think about not eating the right foods.

In fact, the causes and related factors of diseases are complex and most of the time have nothing to do with diet, and not all diets require abstentions.

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The reason why people think that illness is related to diet may be related to some factors. For example, people often associate their diet with their feelings, and subjectively feel that certain foods will have an impact, but ignore coincidences and other confounding factors.

Another is that there is a lot of information on social media and in daily communications that emphasizes the impact of diet on health. This information can shape people’s beliefs and make people more likely to associate health problems with diet.

In addition, many people have a vague concept of "diet therapy", over-emphasizing the role of food, and believe that food is an effective and necessary means of curing and preventing diseases. For example, Zhang Wubon, who was known as "China's No. 1 Diet Therapist", once claimed that mung bean soup could cure all diseases, attracting countless believers. Later, he fell from the altar and was confirmed to be a liar who practiced medicine without a license.

There is another profound view - for some people, believing that abstaining from food can cure illness can enhance their sense of control over the disease. By changing their diet, these people feel that they are actively contributing to their health and feel more at ease.

In summary, from a macro perspective, we often exaggerate the role of diet in disease for various reasons.

Do you need to avoid various foods after getting acne?

Let me give you the answer first: Even if you have acne, it is not necessary to avoid certain foods.

Acne is mainly caused by a variety of factors, including excessive oil secretion, clogged pores, bacteria and inflammation . There is no absolute causal relationship between diet and acne. The more mainstream view is that there is no need to follow a regular diet plan - which sounds counterintuitive.

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The reason for this view is that there is no high-quality evidence (such as randomized controlled trials in medicine) to prove that a specific diet helps to treat acne.

Although some people think that there is a relationship between diet and acne, many people have not found the relationship. The latter group of people rarely express their opinions, so there is a "survivor bias."

For example, although some people think that eating spicy food can cause acne, the proportion of acne among Sichuan people, who generally love spicy food, does not seem to be particularly high. More importantly, there is actually no significant relationship between spicy food and acne. The medical community has not found that spicy food can cause acne or aggravate acne.

One reason why some people think that eating spicy food can cause acne is that spicy food can cause "heatiness" on the skin, causing temporary hot flashes, redness, and sweating on the skin, and acne is a manifestation of heatiness. Therefore, spicy food may have become a dietary taboo for everyone.

But in fact, the concept of getting angry is very mysterious, and there is no rigorous, scientific definition. Another possibility is that eating spicy food may have other effects (not related to the spiciness itself), such as a high glycemic index and a high glycemic load, the latter of which is more related to acne.

Therefore, if you get acne due to eating spicy food, you may actually be blaming the spiciness.

Some foods may cause acne

But “possible” does not mean “necessary”

The current mainstream view is that there are two types of foods that may cause acne or have a higher risk of acne. One is dairy products such as milk , and the other is foods with a high glycemic index or high glycemic load .

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Among milk, skim milk and low-fat milk have a higher risk of causing acne than whole milk, and the more you drink every day, the higher the risk. It is not entirely clear why milk causes or aggravates acne, but it is speculated that it may be related to the fact that some of the ingredients in it (insulin-like growth factor, natural hormones or other bioactive molecules) are prone to causing inflammation in the human body. In addition, inflammation may cause pores to become clogged, leading to acne.

However, this risk of milk consumption varies from person to person, and not everyone will develop acne or have their acne aggravated after drinking milk. In other words, "possible acne" does not mean "definitely acne". If you do not have any problems after drinking a small amount of milk (for example, no more than 300 ml per day), then you do not need to avoid milk, and there is no need to "one size fits all" diet.

In addition, foods with a high glycemic index or high glycemic load also have a certain risk of causing acne.

▶ The glycemic index (GI) reflects the speed and ability of a food to raise blood sugar levels compared to glucose. High GI foods have a value of over 70, and are characterized by a rapid rise in blood sugar levels after ingestion.

▶ Glycemic load (GL) reflects how a food will raise a person's blood sugar level after being ingested. One unit of glycemic load is roughly equivalent to the effect of eating 1 gram of glucose. High GL foods have a value of more than 20, and their characteristic is that blood sugar will rise higher after ingestion.

Common high GI or high GL foods include white rice, white flour products (such as noodles), desserts, high-sugar fruits (such as watermelon), etc. More types of food are not listed here one by one. If you are interested, you can search online to learn more.

Similarly, even if it is a high GI or high GL food, you don’t have to avoid it blindly. It is not realistic for Chinese people to completely avoid rice and noodles. What is more important is to look at your actual situation. If you are prone to acne after eating certain foods, you can consider eating less or reducing the frequency of eating.

in conclusion

Based on the above brain-burning analysis, let’s directly answer the question “Can I have both acne removal and delicious food?”

You can basically have both acne removal and delicious food. On the one hand, don't take the dangers of diet too seriously. On the other hand, there are no foods that we must avoid. Instead of blindly avoiding food, it is more reasonable to observe and summarize more on a daily basis. If you suspect that acne is related to certain dietary patterns, you can make targeted adjustments or consult medical professionals.

Source: Starry Sky Project

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