It's long been debated whether dairy has a negative effect on your skin. What is the real answer? Dairy products have for many years been considered a "health food" but by the looks of things, this smooth and creamy drink may be one of the problems with trying to keep your complexion smooth and creamy..
To answer the dairy question, let's look at two items:
1. What is Acne?
To know about what is acne, the answer is Acne is an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands, characterized by comedones and pimples, especially on the face, back, and chest, and, in severe cases, by cysts and nodules resulting in scarring." [Dictionary.com] So acne is an inflammatory condition of the skin that is also "aggravated during periods of hormonal shifts." [Mayo Clinic]
2. What is Milk?
Dairy is known for being one of the most highly inflammatory foods in our modern diet second only to sugar. Milk has a few key ingredients that cause the body, and the skin, in particular, to respond poorly. Two such ingredients are lactose (milk sugar), and the highly inflammatory milk protein, casein.
And there's much more! Milk is loaded with 60-some hormones so it is a double whammy as far as acne is concerned.
Below is just a short list of these hormones that come "free of charge" in your average glass of milk, all of which negatively impact your body's hormonal levels.
• 20α-dihydropregnenolone
• Progesterone (from pregnenolone)
• 5α-pregnanedione
• 5α-pregnan-3β-ol-20-one, 20α- and 20β-dihydroprogesterone (from progesterone)
• 5α-androstene-3β17β-diol
• 5α-androstanedione
• 5α-androstan-3β-ol-17-one
• Androstenedione
• Testosterone
• Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate acyl ester
• Insulin like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF-1 and IGF-2)
• Insulin
If you think it is the fat in milk that's the problem, think again. It was actually skim milk that had the strongest risk for acne. In other studies of over 10,000 boys and girls from 9 to 15 years old, there was a direct link between the amount of milk consumed and the severity of acne.
As I often say, "The best way to avoid inflammation is not to eat it". It has been proven time and time again. You want your body to naturally regulate your hormones and not overtax the system with foods that negatively impact your hormone levels. In short, don't overload the system! Dairy and sugar are staples of the Western diet and unfortunately bring acne right along with them. As non-Western populations such as the Chinese, Kitavans in Papua New Guinea and the Eskimos are introduced to dairy and sugar, acne tends to follow.
Dairy isn't a digestive problem for everyone, but for most people, whether they know they do or not, dairy poses a serious threat to their skin.
Most people won't eliminate their milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy "treats." Sometimes people who have these problems don't react the same when they go to raw or organic milk opposed to pasteurized, but sometimes they still do so it is wise if you are struggling with acne, to eliminate dairy. Great alternatives are coconut, rice, almond, or cashew milk.
A short list of anti-inflammatory foods to add to your diet are garlic, tea, blueberries, fermented foods such as kefir, miso, and sauerkraut. Also eat as many leafy greens as you can; the deeper and darker the better.
Here's to clear skin and clearer skies in your very near future!
Kyle Craichy
P.S. If you want to clear your skin in 30 days, check out the product I developed myself to cure myself of acne completely here