Image Credits: http://www.keratin.com/aa/aa007.shtml
Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by poor hygiene. Some of the main factors that contribute to acne are our hormones and our diet, although doctors may disagree with the latter.
The outermost layer of our skin consists of keratin, sebum and other substances. Keratin is a fibrous protein and sebum is the natural oil secreted from our sebaceous glands from within our pores. When either keratin or sebum are overproduced, they may cause blockages. These blocked pores, also known as comedones, fill up with sebum which makes the pore swell. Bacteria inside the pore produce wastes that irritate the skin and cause inflammation.
Hormones, particularly testosterone, are the culprit for the overproduction of keratin and sebum. This is why some of us get so many skin blemishes during our teenage years. Girls don't get away with it either. Although testosterone is known for being primarily a male hormone, the ovaries produce it too.
Some grow out of the problem after adolescence but others do not. Why is this the case? I don't really have an answer for this, but we have to remember acne does not occur in a homogenous group of people. It almost seems to effect people at random. Some people can eat crap all day long and never get a pimple whilst others are acne-ridden despite having been on a healthy diet all their lives.
But if this is the case, what kind of healthy diet will get rid of your acne? And does what we put in our mouths effect how our face looks like at all? Enter the paleolithic diet.
Image Credits: http://www.complete-strength-training.com/paleo-food.html
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., among other leading nutritionists and scientists, is a strong proponent for what is called the paleo diet. In essence, the paleo diet restricts the dieter from grains, dairy, beans and soy - making grass-fed meats their staple. Other essentials for the diet include vegetables, fruits (especially berries), nuts and omega fats. The food pyramid above is a good depiction of it.
The whole theory behind this diet is simple. Proponents for the paleo diet believe that people should continue to eat like their hunter-gatherer ancestors. Anything cultivated or processed should be avoided as the human body isn't adapted to eating such things.
A 1971 report by O. Schaeffer revealed that acne was absent in the Inuit or Eskimo population. But as soon as they adopted a Western diet, acne appeared. Further studies in Kenya, Zambia, Malaysia and rural Japan revealed acne is very uncommon. In fact, a study on 10,000 rural Brazilian school children showed a stunningly low 2.7% occurrence of acne.
Similarly, a 2002 study by researcher Loren Cordain, Ph.D., showed that there were zero cases of active acne out of 1,200 Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea and 115 Ache hunter-gatherers of Paraguay. Kitavan Islanders normally ate tubers, fruit, fish and coconut whilst the Ache ate wild, foraged foods, locally grown foods and only 8 percent of Western foods. All this data seems to indicate that diet does play an important role in how your face looks like.
Bowden hypothesizes that the paleo diet should reduce or even get rid of acne. This is because by cutting away processed carbohydrates and high-sugar foods, we reduce the level of glucose (or sugar) in our blood and prevent our body from releasing the hormone insulin. Insulin is the hormone which sensitizes and stimulates our cells to absorb and burn more glucose - which is a good thing, but a high level of insulin will cause a rise in the hormone IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor). Both of these hormones stimulate hormone production in both our ovarian and testicular tissues which results in higher levels of testosterone in our blood.
Testosterone itself doesn't cause acne. It's what the body converts it into. The resulting compound is called DHT - dihydrotestosterone. This substance stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum which can aggravate or even cause acne. Note that inorganic meats can also contain growth hormones which can complicate your acne problem.
But let's not jump to conclusions too quickly. Before we start eating like the paleolithic caveman, we've got to analyze the data presented to us. The environment we live in is bound to be different from the localities listed above. For instance, we're faced with an abundance of pollutants in the air we breath, the food we eat, sometimes even the water we drink - which may subtly effect the quality of our skin. Also, other factors like stress and lack of exercise, which is rampant in the modern, Westernized lifestyle, may come into play.
Take note that one should exercise caution when going on this diet. There are a number of risks associated with the paleo diet such as ketosis, where the body stops using glucose as its primary energy source and burns fat instead. This might sound like an ideal weight loss solution but it can leave your breath smelling strangely sweet and in extreme cases, cause ketoacidosis where the blood becomes so acidic that the dieter becomes extremely thirsty, experiences nausea and vomits. Another problem with the paleo diet is that the high intake of meat can cause high blood cholesterol which is associated with heart disease. The list of side effects go on and on.
Personally, I believe in a holistic approach to skincare. To get good skin, we've got to tackle the problem from all angles instead of just one (i.e. our diet). So, it is important to get enough sleep, relax, drink enough water and generally lead a healthy lifestyle for attaining healthy, beautiful skin.
VERDICT: My verdict on the paleo diet on acne is that it is worth a try on a short-term basis especially for very bad cases of acne but the long-term side effects are really not worth going through. An adaptation of the diet can be useful though. Cutting sugars and processed carbohydrates is great for you as it greatly reduces the chance of the occurrence of type 2 diabetes. But be sure to replace them with healthy, B vitamin rich, whole grains like brown rice and wholegrain bread.
"The Most Effective Natural Cures on the Earth" by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
"The Sugar Fix" by Richard J. Johnson, MD with Timothy Gower
