Is bread really a teenage acne stimulator?

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

Why would you eat loads of bread every day when you do not know what it can do to you besides fulfilling your appetite? Teenagers who eat lots of bread these days are most likely to get acne more than adults do. Studies show that acne comes up in 60% of 12-year-old and below and 95% of 18-year-old & teenagers.

US dermatologists have conducted several researches that confirm that refined sugar, along with wheat and other grains, can raise insulin levels. Studies done previously may show that too much insulin can lead to acne also those new low-carbohydrate diets those are so popular right now. It is possible that they can lead to reduced acne breakouts for some.

Loren Cordain of Colorado State University conducted a research and suggested that insulin surges may be triggered by easily digested refined bread. IGF-1, a growth factor resembling insulin, can be produced as well. This combination of substances in the body can spike male hormones, which is known to created large amounts of sebum in the skin. Sebum, a thick substance that can build up in the pores of the skin, encourages the bacterial growth responsible for acne.

Further, a research has pointed out a lack of acne among teenagers living in other parts of the world, where food is largely unprocessed. Acne only appeared among the Inuit people of Alaska when people there switched from their traditional fare to a Western-style diet.

Dermatologists at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, are planning a major study to see if eating a low-carbohydrate diet can reduce the incidence of acne. The experiments will involve 60 teenage boys, tracked over the course of three months.

Dermatologists have seen lots of anecdotal evidence when they had their patients move to low-carbohydrate diets. However, the Australian research will be one of the first controlled studies to examine the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on acne.