The Link Between Skin and Nutrition
It is now known that certain nutrients help certain body parts to function better. Healthy bones require calcium and vitamin D. Our hearts can do better when we eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. And for healthy skin we should eat, well, hmmm, that’s a good question.
If you are not sure which foods are good for your skin and which are harmful, you are certainly not alone. Little research has shown a link between specific foods and skin health, says Cheryl Karcher, MD, a new dermatologist from New York who worked as a nutritionist before becoming a doctor. And much of the “common knowledge” that people pass on about eating and skin health is based on individual issues, she says.
Still, “skin is a reflection of your overall body health,” says Karcher, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dermatology. A nutritious diet that keeps your interior healthy will help keep your appearance looking good. On the other hand, a poor diet will appear on your skin.
Several experts with experience in nutrition and dermatology, are here to tell which foods can support smooth, healthy skin and which foods are more likely to cause rashes, blemishes, and pimples.
The blood sugar compound
For the first part of his career, Valori Treloar, MD, worked with patients as a typical dermatologist. But over time, she became tired of the few options she could use for difficult to handle cases, as well as the serious side effects some could cause.
So the Massachusetts doctor became a certified nutritionist, and now promotes dietary adjustments to her patients along with medicine.
Several studies from 40 years ago “proved” that the diet does not cause acne, says Treloar, and this thinking became a widely held belief in medicine. “Through medical school and through dermatological training, I was taught,” do not worry about what the patient eats, it is not relevant to their acne, “says Treloar WHTT.
But in recent years, some studies have supported new thinking.
A good way to improve the health of your skin is to eat in a way that keeps your blood sugar level even, she tells WHTT. Some foods make your blood sugar soar quickly. This triggers your body to make an outbreak of the hormone insulin to help your cells absorb the sugar.
If you eat a cake all day, you eat a granola bar, and you drink a sweet drink, you push your blood sugar high and fast, and you should Have more insulin circulating in your blood, says Treloar, as co-authors The clear skin diet.
Some studies suggest that insulin may play a role in acne. In a study in 2007, researchers explored a possible link. The study included 43 teenage boys and young men with acne. For three months, some ate a diet, including foods with a low glycemic load (which is a measure of how food affects people’s blood sugar), and others ate a carbohydrate-heavy diet without worrying about their glycemic index. Those who ate the special low glycemic load diet had more improvement in their acne.
On the other hand, a study published in a dermatology journal later this year did not find a link between acne, insulin levels and measurements of glycemic load. So the case is not settled yet.
Steps that keep blood sugar stable, as well as fighting inflammation and oxidative damage that can be linked to skin problems, include:
- Focusing on foods with a low glycemic index (GI), a measure related to glycemic load, causes less increase in blood sugar, in contrast to the steeper jump from foods with a high glycemic index or GI. It can take some time to identify low and high GI foods. You can find a good introduction here.
- Eat small meals often. Eating every one and a half to three hours will help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels more stable, says Treloar.
- Eat lots of vegetables. Treloar recommends 10 knot gates of vegetables every day. Choose veggies over a variety of deep and bright colors. These will provide a number of antioxidants that curb free radical (or “oxidative”) damage and inflammation. But keep in mind that some vegetables have a high GI.
Dairy and acne
There is no definite link between milk and acne, but there are theories about it.
In an article he wrote for a medical journal in 2008, F. William Danby, MD, a dermatologist who promotes possible milk-acne connection, explained how the two may be related. Milk contains components related to the hormone testosterone that can stimulate the oil glands in the skin, setting the stage for acne.
Karcher has heard similar stories. “I have had patients who said they stopped dairy and their acne got better. You can have a completely healthy diet without dairy. If a patient feels that there is a possible problem, there is nothing wrong with trying it as long as they are followed by someone to ensure that they get a balanced diet. «
“In skincare practices, I often take people of all dairy products, which is quite unusual for Rds to do, but it made a big difference,” says Carmina McGee, MS, RD, a dietitian in Ventura, Calif., Who has a special interest in skin diseases.
Although studies have shown links between milk and acne, they do not show cause and effect, and they do not show that dairy causes acne. Anecdotes from people who have left the dairy also do not mean that the same will be true for you.
Dairy is an important source of calcium and vitamin D, which your bones (and the rest of your body) need. So if you cut back, do so with caution:
- If you find that your skin clears up after you cut out dairy, see if you can have a little without breakouts. Some people can drink small amounts of milk and remain acne-free, says Treloar.
- Or try different types of dairy. Non-sweet yogurt from cows or dairy from other animals such as goats may be more tolerable for your skin.
- Replace calcium that you would normally get from dairy, by eating other foods such as calcium-rich green vegetables (such as kale and mustard greens), broccoli and sardines, says McGee.
Balance your fats
Various fatty acids in the food we eat can support inflammation or reduce it. And too much inflammation in your body can appear on your skin, says Treloar. A few years ago, omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3s were evenly represented in the human diet. But we tend to get a lot more omega-6s now.
You can address this imbalance, says treloar, by:
- Use less vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, and even rapeseed oil.
- Buy beef and eggs from animals that ate while roaming in the pasture, instead of animals that were fed corn.
- Eat more fish that are rich in omega-3, such as salmon and mackerel, and consider taking fish oil supplements. As always, tell your doctor about any supplements you are taking so they can look for any side effects or drug interactions.
The role of gluten
People with a condition called celiac disease must avoid a protein called gluten, which is found in certain grains. In these cases, eating gluten causes damage to the small intestine.
Concerns about gluten effects in people without celiac disease have become trendy in recent years, says McGee. But people can be sensitive to gluten even if they do not have celiac disease. In some cases, this gluten sensitivity can lead to skin rashes, she tells WHTT. However, rash related to gluten sensitivity, called dermatitis herpetiformis, is mainly seen in people with celiac disease.
A low gluten-rich diet can make a lot of nutritious foods – like whole-wheat bread – disappear from your plate. If you are starting a gluten-free trial, talk to your doctor first.