The Red Radish Blog

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Protein is awesome… but you’re consuming too much of it.

Studies have consistently found that 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of body weight per day is excessive. 0.55 - 0.75 grams per lbs. is sufficient for body builders, according to the research. Less is required for endurance training, and much less is required for sedentary people.

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3 Best Bifidobacterium Probiotics Without Lactobacillus

SIBO, histamine intolerance or D-lactate issues? Bifidobacteria comes to rescue when traditional lactobacillus probiotics are not tolerated.

Lactobacillus is frequently endorsed as a panacea, but it can contribute to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) in susceptible people when taken in sufficiently large doses because it grows in the small intestine. Bifidobacteria colonize the colon, not the small intestine, so this genus does not contribute to SIBO.

Bifidobacterium longum has been shown to prevent decrease of lactobacilli in mice with ulcerative colitis, which is interesting since it implies supplementing with Lactobacillus separately may be unnecessary in the presence of B. longum. B. infantis 35624 (a subspecies of B. longum) is a particularly well-studied strain that has been proven to reduce IBS symptoms and intestinal inflammation. B. bifidum has been proven in a least one controlled study to reduce IBS symptoms. B. breve is interesting for its proven ability to improve eczema as well as inflammatory bowel disease. B. lactis has been shown effective at relieving constipation.

It can be difficult to find supplements that do not feature Lactobacillus. Three  such supplements are "ProBiota Bifido" by Seeking Health, "Align Infantis" by Align, and "Bifidus Balance" by Jarrow Formulas. The Align probiotic provides B. Infantis alone, while the latter two provide B. bifidum, B. longum, B. lactis, and B. breve without B. infantis.

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All of the patients were in the severe acne group according to their scores on the global acne scoring scale. While fasting blood glucose levels were not different between the groups (p > 0.05, 82.91 ±9.76 vs. 80.26 ±8.33), the fasting insulin levels were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001, 14.01 ±11.94 vs. 9.12 ±3.53). Additionally, there was a highly significant difference between the patient and control groups in terms of HOMA values (p < 0.001, 2.87 ±2.56 vs. 1.63 ±0.65).

This study shows a positive correlation between insulin levels and acne severity. This is probably due to the fact that insulin increases Insulin-like Growth Factor IGF-1, both of which stimulate the sebaceous glands to release sebum (Richard Wolfstein, November 29, 2014, “How insulin causes acne”). Authors such as Wolfstein advocate reducing any and all sources of carbohydrate, but this is flawed for a number of reasons. High-fat diets have been shown to induce insulin resistance and raise cortisol (a stress hormone positively correlated with acne), populations consuming pre-modern diets and noted for clear skin often consume large quantities of low-glycemic carbohydrate foods, and excessive protein consumption activates mechanistic / mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a protein that fuels acne by stimulating excess sebum and keratin production. The takeaway from all this is that acne patients should reduce insulin without reducing carbs, a paradoxical feat only achieved by strategically choosing to consume low-glycemic carbohydrate foods.

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This mechanism by which fat induces insulin resistance wasn’t known until modern MRI techniques were developed to see what was happening inside people’s muscles as fat was infused into their bloodstreams. The scans showed researchers that higher fat levels in the blood caused insulin resistance by interfering with glucose transport into the muscles.

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Carb controversy: Why low-carb diets have got it all wrong. | Precision Nutrition

Yes, we've all heard the carb controversy. Let's clear all that up. We'll share the truth about high-carb and low-carb diets. We'll even help you find the right amount of carbs...for you.

Brian St. Pierre cites research showing that low carb dieting raising cortisol levels, which Zari and Alrahmani have proven directly and positively linked to acne (doi:10.2147/CCID.S148499). The article makes a strong argument for “strategic moderation”, featuring balanced macronutrient ratios of carbs, fat, and protein. This is corroborated by Radu Antoniu at thinkeatfit.com who recommends a macro split of 25-30% protein, 30-35% fat and 35-40% carbs to support the endocrine system. 

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This study reviewed the extant evidence on dietary factors causing acne in specific studies and revealed that acne has been shown to be caused by high-glycemic-load dieting and dairy. The review did not find conclusive evidence showing a causal relation between saturated fat intake and acne but did note that diets high in saturated fat increase IGF-1, while diets low in fat and high in fiber decrease both IGF-1 and androgens, both of which are known causes for acne.

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Human skin condition and its associations with nutrient concentrations in serum and diet | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | Oxford Academic

Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, including sex, age, and smoking, statistically significant associations were shown in the total population between serum vitamin A and skin sebum content and surface pH and between the dietary intake of total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and skin hydration. Monounsaturated fat intake was also associated with surface pH. Associations between serum β-cryptoxanthin and skin hydration and between surface pH and fluid and calcium intakes were observed in men only.

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The relationship of diet and acne: A review

properly balanced ratios of essential fatty acids and low-glycemic carbohydrate are essential to reducing acne lesions

Linoleic acid is essential to the structure of skin barrier function, and studies done on both animals and humans confirm that lipids ingested as part of the diet show up in the skin, dramatically affecting the properties of the latter. Primitive, non-industrialized populations are well known for their lack of acne and a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of dietary omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. 

A controlled, blinded study compared acne lesions between a control group and a group eating 25% of calories from protein and 45% from low-glycemic-index carbohydrates. The low-glycemic group were shown to experience greater reduction in total and inflammatory acne lesions and improved insulin sensitivity.

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25 Ways to Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity | Mark's Daily Apple

Insulin does a lot of important things for us. It pulls glucose from the blood and fritters it away into our cells to be burned for energy or stored as gly

We know that dieting on a low-fat, low-protein diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables is strongly associated with clear skin, longevity, and decreased mTOR activation, among other things, but insulin load will be much higher on such a diet than on rich, animal-based, high-protein diets. How do we avoid becoming insensitive to insulin? First, eat most of your carbs after fasting (e.g., breakfast) and strength, endurance, and interval training. Second, relax with meditation, sleep, and human affection (oxytocin). Third, only eat starchy foods after cooling them first to make their starches “resistant” (credit: Poliquin Group, “Nine Things that Improve Insulin Sensitivity”). Fourth, avoid refined sugar and strategically consume insulin-improving plants, drinks, and minerals:

High-protein and high-fiber carbohydrate

Vinegar, pickled vegetables, and green tea

Ginger, garlic, turmeric, and cinnamon

Magnesium, copper, and zinc

Most of these are self-explanatory with the exception of meditation, which can be difficult to master without some guidance: “It is a myth that meditation means that there are no thoughts in your mind. Meditation is more about having a relaxed attitude toward your thoughts–like maybe not believing them so much. In my mind, ‘successful’ and ‘meditation’ should never be used together in a sentence. We have enough stress in our lives anyway, adversely affecting our health, without trying to be a success at sitting around doing nothing. –By the way, thanks for another informative post.” (Roberta, coment on Mark’s Daily Apple, comment-2715974).

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If for example, you have already eliminated the classic acne supervillains like sugar, wheat, trans-fats, vegetable oils (not healthy at all; discussed in my eBook), yet are still getting acne outbreaks like clockwork, FODMAPs could be the culprit.

We’ve established elsewhere that high-fat, high-protein, and high-glycemic diets generate acne, while the plant-based, low-glycemic diets of un-modernized populations manifest remarkably low prevalence of acne. This is not the end of the road, however, because not all edible plants are created equal. Many “healthy” fruits and vegetables will trigger acne, in fact. How is this possible? Fructose, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols (FODMAPs). These carbohydrates are digested by gut bacteria, triggering acne if these microbes are not properly balanced. The complex, highly individualized nature of each person’s intestinal microbes is such that each person will react differently to different FODMAPs. Some unlucky individuals cannot tolerate any of them, while others can tolerate one or two, but not the others. It’s important to become familiar with which edible plants fall into which FODMAPs categories in order to learn which trigger symptoms like acne. It’s also important to realize that cooking methods dramatically impact FODMAPs content. Raw legumes can kill you, but pressure-cooked legumes have critical FODMAPs disabled by the heat and pressure of this cooking process. That is why diets such as GAPS emphasize boiling and simmering everything before eating it and why Dr. Weston A. Price / Nourishing Traditions emphasize the crucial role which soaking, sprouting, and fermenting plays in all the culinary traditions of un-modernized populations.

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Over the past 10 years, the increase in comprehension of the mechanisms behind acne has been truly exponential. Starting with the ethnological work of Cordain, accelerated by the epidemiological work of Adebamowo, supported by the clinical trials of Smith and Mann, Kwon, DiLandro and others, the interface of diet and acne is coming into focus. Melnik now presents an exceptional pair of papers that illustrate for dermatologists what translational research is all about. The Western diet, the role of dairy, FoxO1 and mTORC1, the interplay of agonists and antagonists, therapeutics present and future - the jigsaw puzzle is coming together.

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The purpose of this paper is to highlight the endocrine signaling of Western diet, a fundamental environmental factor involved in the pathogenesis of epidemic acne. Western nutrition is characterized by high calorie uptake, high glycemic load, high fat and meat intake, as well as increased consumption of insulin- and IGF-1-level elevating dairy proteins. Metabolic signals of Western diet are sensed by the nutrient-sensitive kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), which integrates signals of cellular energy, growth factors (insulin, IGF-1) and protein-derived signals, predominantly leucine, provided in high amounts by milk proteins and meat.

We knew that rural, non-Western diets manifested acne at far lower rates than urbanized Western diets, but we couldn’t quite figure out the biochemical mechanism behind this until mTORC1 came along.

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“In general, lower leucine levels are only reached by restriction of animal proteins.”

Restricting leucine isn’t just good for acne. It turns out that restricting protein alone provides the same benefits as calorie restriction, which includes increased lifespan and less acne (among other things). Restricting protein equates to restricting leucine specifically since all the high-protein foods are high in leucine. The Okinawa Japanese are noted for having half the mortality rate of ordinary humans, and their diet is limited to about 10% protein. There is one group with an even higher life expectancy, however: the vegetarian Adventists of California.

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Research Uncovers The Mastermind Molecule Behind Acne – What It Is And How To Turn It Down

Learn how mTor controls all the aspects of acne, and how to turn down this master regulator of acne.

Say hello to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), otherwise known as the “master regulator of acne” by Seppo. mTOR is the major activator of lipogenesis and inflammation, and it is activated by insulin and the amino acid leucine. This is found primarily in animal foods (eggs, dairy, beef, pork, poultry, and fish), so the mTOR research suggests restricting these and focusing the diet on fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

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Acne vulgaris, an epidemic inflammatory skin disease of adolescence, is closely related to Western diet. Three major food classes that promote acne are: 1) hyperglycemic carbohydrates, 2) milk and dairy products, 3) saturated fats including trans-fats ...

This article identifies the three major food promoters of acne: hyperglycemic carbs (e.g., sugar), milk products, and certain fats (saturated fats, trans-fats,  omega-6 polyunsaturated fats). It also has some interesting notes about the mTORC1 pathway to triggering acne.

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Fighting acne with food: Can what you eat worsen or help your acne?

acne, the "diabetes of the skin"

Ryan Andrews has written what may be the best, most well-researched article on acne I’ve ever seen. His dietary recommendations are to eat...

fruits, tubers, vegetables, herbs, and spices

soaked, sprouted, and fermented non-wheat grains

liver, fish, and wild game

Foods he suggests avoiding include any refined or processed food, especially...

plant oils

dairy

sugar

flour

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The principal activity of mature sebaceous glands is producing and secreting sebum, which is a complex mixture of lipids. Sebum composition is different among species and this difference is probably due to the function that sebum has to absolve. In human ...

Acne is a lipid biosynthesis problem. Acne subjects consistently produce larger quantities of sebum than the general population, and the sebum produced has several peculiar qualities: it is lower in linoleic acid and vitamin E and higher in peroxidized squalene and monounsaturated fatty acids. Diet provides the substrates for the synthesis of sebum, so it is not surprising that evidence shows diet controls the quantity and quality of sebum. Caloric restriction has been shown to, “dramatically decrease the sebum secretion rate” (”Sebum, Diet and Acne” section, para. 1), while variations in dietary carbhohydrate and fat have been shown to affect sebum quality. Diets rich in fish and seafood has been shown to lower acne, probably by virtue of the 2:1 ratio of omega-6:omega3  polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).