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Dairy & Acne

A dairy-free diet may improve acne vulgaris.

October 2, 2010 |
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Supplementary Info

Dairy & Acne, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Sources Cited

C. A. Adebamowo, D. Spiegelman, C. S. Berkey, F. W. Danby, H. H. Rockett, G. A. Colditz, W. C. Willett, and M. D. Holmes. Milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol., 58(5):787-793, 2008.

Danby FW. Diet and acne. Clin Dermatol. 2008 Jan-Feb;26(1):93-6.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

Speaking of pus, yes, zits. New Harvard study this year showing significantly more acne in milk drinkers, leading a top dermatology journal to editorialize for a “no dairy diet,” reducing dairy consumption for anyone with acne to zero, because of the hormone content in milk.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Dianne Moore.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on acne. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!

For more context, check out my associated blog post, Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on acne. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/JenniferEldred/ Jennifer Eldred

    What about dairy on the skin? Should we stay away from soap, lotion etc with it? I’m assuming all milk too even goats milk?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/HannaKannelmäe/ Hanna Kannelmäe

    If it’s hormone content that causes acne to break out, would one solution also be to consume organic milk products?
    Can dairy alternatives made of soy also have a negative affect on acne?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/ChuckMetcalfe/ Chuck Metcalfe

      All non-plant milk has hormones in it. The entire purpose of mammals producing milk is to provide growth hormones to their offspring.

  • JJ

    Well, it didn’t work for me. I’ve had acne problems ever since puberty. I stopped dairy 5-6 months ago and I still have the same annoying problem at the same severity. This is very disappointing tome since I was really hoping that if I gave up my favorite foods, I would loose the acne problem.

    I wonder if the acne-dairy connection is a myth and there is some kind of flaw in the study. Just wondering.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

      The main thing about dairy we are worried about is the insulin like growth factor. What else are you eating on a daily basis as some foods (like soy protein isolate found in clif products) prove to be worse than dairy. Also, are you supplementing any proteins? This will have a similar affect. Are you eating a lot of meats?

      • JJ

        Toxins: Thanks for your interest.

        I have been a vegetarian for 15 years and went completely vegan in the last 5-6 months. The only bars I am eating are bars like Lara Bar which is just fruits and nuts with no protein isolates. I do not add any special proteins to my diet other than what comes naturally in beans, whole grains like quinoa, and some organic tofu. In the last 5-6 months, I started cooking all my own foods from recipe books that are vegan, low or no-fat and based on whole plant foods.

        Just to give this a complete fair shot, I even stopped sampling cookies and other goodies that co-workers bring to work. When I slice cheese for my dog once a week, I make sure to put the knife right in the dishwasher so that I don’t use it for myself. A couple weeks ago, I even cooked and packed all my own foods for a three day seminar instead of eating the foods that everyone else ate so that I would be eating both vegan and healthy.

        As a sample of what I eat: yesterday’s lunch consisted of home-made African Kale and Yam Stew (delicious–and with organic kale and organic yams) from the Happy Herbivore cookbook and “Hippie Loaf” from the same cookbook with a mushroom gravy on top that came from a book on preventing and reversing heart disease – or maybe it was the one on preventing diabeties. I can’t remember right now, but they are both good books.

        As near as I can tell, I am eating the ideal diet for health (and slaving away in the kitchen for what feels like forever) and my face is still a mess. I don’t think we understand acne very well at all.

        • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

          You are in fact eating extraordinarily well. Good job, I cannot assist you but I will notify Dr. Greger for you and we will see what he thinks is the issue. But as far as I can tell your diet is spot on.

        • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/JenniferEldred/ Jennifer Eldred

          Are you using any products on your face?

          • JJ

            Jennifer: Thank you for your interest too.

            I do use an over-the-counter acne medicine–sometimes. Sometimes I just give up and do nothing. I haven’t used any kind of make-up in over 20 years. Other than the acne medicine and soap, I put nothing on my face.

        • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/jonk/ JonK

          I still had acne after eating healthy and exercising. I think probiotics were the ace in the heart of acne for me. I was eating yogurt and drinking store bought kefir but it wasn’t enough for me… So I looked up homemade kefir and purchased some kefir grains online and now my acne has finally disappeared. Also having a good lotion in the winter helps if you have dry skin, a few drops of jojoba oil mixed with the lotion helps as well.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/allank/ allank

    Hello Dr. Greger,

    This site is an excellent easy to understand source of health information! Thank You!

    Are there any other studies that show links between diet and acne? There are sources that claim certain foods are bad and others are good, but none have research.

    Also, is inflammation like acne isolated or does it indicate inflammation in the rest of the body as well?

    Thanks,
    Allan

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/thea/ Thea

      allank: re: “Are there any other studies that show links between diet and acne?”

      I can’t answer your question definitely, but I can suggest that you keep checking back on this site for the current “video-of-the-day”. Dr. Greger is going through volume 8 of his DVDs. I haven’t watched all of volume 8 (while I own the DVD, I prefer the pace of watching one a day), but I have seen the chapter headings. It looks like Dr. Greger will be covering more studies related to acne soon. So, maybe at least some of your questions will be answered by video.

    • http://www.acnemilk.com/ Dr. Danby

      There is a new study not yet published except on line in the J Amer Acad Dermatology. I can provide a pdf if you (or Dr. Greger) can send me a live email address that I can send an attachement to.

  • Yuli

    Dr. Greger, it happened the opposite on me. I have more acnes now after I became vegan than before. My puberty years I didn’t get much acnes, now I am in my thirties, I get them a lot on the side of my face near and behind the ears to my neck. I am wondering what I did wrong. My personal toiletries are the same.

    I became completely vegan a year ago from fulltime meat eater; breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am lactose intolerance so I didn’t consume dairy much, except occasionally ice cream and pizzas.

    I eat lots of fresh veggies, beans, salads, rice, Ezekiel bread, sweet potatoes, tofu, nuts and seeds. I limit processed vegan diet, such as tofurky. I am using oil for baking and stir-frying.

    I am happy with vegan diet I can control my weight easily than before. But I hate my acnes.

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