Through my teenage years I had the normal skin problems, nothing insane. I am now 23 and do occasionally get a blemish or two on my face, and strongly believe that it is connected to my diet.
I have noticed that eating red meat triggers huge problems with my skin, and was wondering if anybody else has noticed such a problem or link? I avoid dairy, processed carbs, and vegetable oils, and supplement with a multi, calcium, D, fish oil, and a enzyme blend, all of which has helped my skin tremendously.
Also, I noticed that when I was mega dosing fish oil (10+ caps per day), my skin actually got worse. Apparently excess fat causes increased sebum production, which in turn can lead to skin problems.
Any thoughts on the connection between diet and skin?
Unlikely to be red meat and fish oils. Far more likely to be grains and (if you’re in the US), dairy, because they pump their cows full of hormones (that shit won’t fly in the EU). I had spots from the age of 10 right into my thirties. My skin improved dramatically when I switched to a more Paleo-type diet. There’s a bunch of pages on the web if you want info, but here’s one: Best Korean Skincare For Acne 2022 | Top Korean Acne Skincare Products and Routine for Acne - Best Korean Products
Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose, except your zits.
I rarely post, but wanted to chime in and agree with Cal. I’m on the AD right now, and my skin has cleared up a ton (it hasn’t been clear for the past six years; I’m in my mid-twenties) once I stopped drinking milk and cut out wheat (I still eat buckwheat, quinoa, and oats on refeed days). I eat a ton of red meat and take all of the supplements you listed. I even did a course of Accutane a few years ago and it came back. Diet has been my most reliable method of control. A good dermatologist will tell you that while the influence of diet on skin isn’t true for everyone, it is certainly true for some.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
Through my teenage years I had the normal skin problems, nothing insane. I am now 23 and do occasionally get a blemish or two on my face, and strongly believe that it is connected to my diet.
I have noticed that eating red meat triggers huge problems with my skin, and was wondering if anybody else has noticed such a problem or link? I avoid dairy, processed carbs, and vegetable oils, and supplement with a multi, calcium, D, fish oil, and a enzyme blend, all of which has helped my skin tremendously.
Also, I noticed that when I was mega dosing fish oil (10+ caps per day), my skin actually got worse. Apparently excess fat causes increased sebum production, which in turn can lead to skin problems.
Any thoughts on the connection between diet and skin?[/quote]
I’ve never noticed a problem with red meat, though I rarely go more than 3 days without eating any.
Dairy is well known to cause acne flareup, and I think refined carbs (ie sugars) have alink as well, but am not certain.
Fish oil as low as 1g a day has given me really oily skin and eventually acne. Megadosing caused big honking zits within a week. That was on a very good brand, so I don’t think it was impurities or the like.
I should actually get around to trying that with plant based oils to see if there’s a difference.
Why does everyone cut out dairy? I’ve been on the AD for like 5 months now and dairy (moreso cheese, but i’ll add a cup of milk to my protein shakes) are a part of my diet.
You’d have to look at fat content of the fish oil, it would have to be nothing but omega 3’s red meat would cause problems because of the fat content (omega 3 to 6 ratio.)
[quote]SickAbs wrote:
Why does everyone cut out dairy? I’ve been on the AD for like 5 months now and dairy (moreso cheese, but i’ll add a cup of milk to my protein shakes) are a part of my diet.[/quote]
Milk definitely messes up my skin/the way I feel after eating more than any other dairy product. I do eat cheese on the AD, so I guess I kind of lied when I said I gave up dairy, but probably only 2-3 oz a day, and it doesn’t seem to bother me or give me skin issues, especially if I pop some digestive enzymes with it…so I think it probably goes back to lactose intolerance. Meh. Everyone’s different!
/I used to drink a ton of milk…nothing against it…didn’t make me fat, just made me sick.
Correct me if I’m wrong; red meat has cholesteral that is necessary for the production of testosterone. One of the side effects of increased testosterone is acne…it may not be the same for different individuals but like I said, feel free to correct me if I’m flubbing around.
Artemisia, things that involve hormone fluctuation won’t affect you in the same manner(as a woman0.
[quote]skyel7 wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong; red meat has cholesteral that is necessary for the production of testosterone. One of the side effects of increased testosterone is acne…it may not be the same for different individuals but like I said, feel free to correct me if I’m flubbing around.
Artemisia, things that involve hormone fluctuation won’t affect you in the same manner(as a woman0.
[/quote]
Red meat definitely does cause problems for my skin. It might also be due to the fact that when I do eat red meat, I eat a ton of it, but red meat is extremely hard for the body to digest (creating a highly acidic environment) and can also contain certain toxins.
I have nothing against it, I wish I could eat it more frequently, but I have noticed certain triggers for my skin, and red meat is one of 'em.
[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
Unlikely to be red meat and fish oils. Far more likely to be grains and (if you’re in the US), dairy, because they pump their cows full of hormones (that shit won’t fly in the EU). I had spots from the age of 10 right into my thirties. My skin improved dramatically when I switched to a more Paleo-type diet. There’s a bunch of pages on the web if you want info, but here’s one: Best Korean Skincare For Acne 2022 | Top Korean Acne Skincare Products and Routine for Acne - Best Korean Products
Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose, except your zits.[/quote]
I am fairly certain that I already follow this. I do not eat dairy, vegetable oils, or processed carbs. The only grains that I eat are steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice, and white rice. I eat a ton of veggies/fruits/nuts.
The only part of this that I could see as a problem is the mention of “excessive protein”, which I have already started limiting to around 170g’s per day. Any thoughts?
[quote]skyel7 wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong; red meat has cholesteral that is necessary for the production of testosterone. One of the side effects of increased testosterone is acne…it may not be the same for different individuals but like I said, feel free to correct me if I’m flubbing around.
Artemisia, things that involve hormone fluctuation won’t affect you in the same manner(as a woman0.
[/quote]
Undoubtedly; I just wanted to throw my experience out there.
And yes, the cholesterol–T thing is true, and the studies I’ve read have shown that higher fat (saturated, cholesterol) intakes can increase T levels. The verdict is out on mono and some studies indicate that polyunsaturated fats can decrease T. I have hormonal issues, so I always try to stay on top of the balance game.
My skin breaks out occasionally and bad enough that I’ve seen a dermatologist for it. I’m 26.
I’ve tried to figure it out based on diet, but I’ve had clear skin drinking close to a gallon a milk a day and breakouts doing the same thing. It is the same thing for eating moderate amounts of grains and junk carbs.
One thing I do understand is that I’m fine when I’m eating pretty close to 100% clean, but if I am doing that I’m usually not stressed for time to prepare meals or ‘emotionally eating’ because I’m beat and feeling too lazy to make something. So there might be a correlation between stress i.e. maybe hormonal fluctuation in testosterone/cortisol ratios and what I eat, and thats the one theory I have. I may also wash my face less, sweat more, etc.
Wikipedia has a fair amount of stuff on the theory behind carbs and acne which is interesting:
[quote]skyel7 wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong; red meat has cholesteral that is necessary for the production of testosterone. One of the side effects of increased testosterone is acne…it may not be the same for different individuals but like I said, feel free to correct me if I’m flubbing around.
Artemisia, things that involve hormone fluctuation won’t affect you in the same manner(as a woman0.
[/quote]
Red meat definitely does cause problems for my skin. It might also be due to the fact that when I do eat red meat, I eat a ton of it, but red meat is extremely hard for the body to digest (creating a highly acidic environment) and can also contain certain toxins.
I have nothing against it, I wish I could eat it more frequently, but I have noticed certain triggers for my skin, and red meat is one of 'em.[/quote]
What do you eat with the meat?
[quote]skyel7 wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong; red meat has cholesteral that is necessary for the production of testosterone. One of the side effects of increased testosterone is acne…it may not be the same for different individuals but like I said, feel free to correct me if I’m flubbing around.
Artemisia, things that involve hormone fluctuation won’t affect you in the same manner(as a woman0.
[/quote]
Red meat definitely does cause problems for my skin. It might also be due to the fact that when I do eat red meat, I eat a ton of it, but red meat is extremely hard for the body to digest (creating a highly acidic environment) and can also contain certain toxins.
I have nothing against it, I wish I could eat it more frequently, but I have noticed certain triggers for my skin, and red meat is one of 'em.[/quote]
What do you eat with the meat?[/quote]
Most of the time it’s veggies, but I also mix in quinoa, rice, and salsa’s (all organic).
The only meat I find leads to breakouts is Pork Ribs, greasy chicken and fast food burgers. Steak has never been a problem. I think it’s moreso in the way it’s prepared than the form of meat. That being said, I pour vegetable and olive oil directly into the shakes I drink every day and its never been a problem.
The biggest thing I noticed, obviously, was chocolate and chips when I was a kid. Axed those and my pimples and canker sores(you guys have much problems with these?) pretty much disappeared.
The closer I am to needing to do groceries the more likely I am to get zits. In other words, my preferred diet doesn’t cause zits, but the cheats I do to keep calories up when necessary do. (pizza and burgers)
Just a little insight in the Testosterone/Cholesterol/Acne thing.
A certain kind of acne** occurs when hormone levels are affected. But many guys that use AAS are using upwards of 1g of tesostoerone per week. Thats about 10x as much and some people go up to 3g. Not all of these people get acne at all. However, many guys get bad acne at the very beginning or end of cycles, as the T levels are fluctuating.
Other people get terrible acne on as little at 400mg/wk. So of course some people are just senstive to the excess androgen and the sebum production that comes with it.
The whole tie in with cholesterol intake is probably not significant. Consuming enough cholesterol is one factor in keeping T production at optimal levels but it is not the only factor and can only make T levels so high. There is a ceiling. The changes would not be acute though.
It takes time for the body to produce testosterone and there are many chemicals involved and signaling that has to occur. So for the people that get affected by fluctuating levels the choloesterol intake probably isn’t a factor.
**Acne is too broad of a term. In this thread it is likely that there are at least 3 different kinds being discussed. Pimples (whiteheads/blackheads), cystic, and stuff inbetween those (pustules etc).
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
I am fairly certain that I already follow this. I do not eat dairy, vegetable oils, or processed carbs. The only grains that I eat are steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice, and white rice. I eat a ton of veggies/fruits/nuts.
The only part of this that I could see as a problem is the mention of “excessive protein”, which I have already started limiting to around 170g’s per day. Any thoughts?[/quote]
What sort of red meat are you eating? It’s possible that it may be something to do with the farming methods used in the US - have you tried grass-fed beef or game such as venison?
It could also just be an age thing. Being female my spots would get worse at certain times, but even so I always had a few, right into my thirties. I did eat a lot of crap, though!
I’m 20, I get an occasional zit or two if I’m eating healthy. That means whole foods, avoiding soft drinks, alcohol, sweets, bread, potatoes, milk etc.
If I’m indulging myself, my face worsens up quite a bit. Heh, one more reason to eat clean.
I never had problem with eating unlimited quantities of red meat once i started eating ONLY grass fed organic beef. What an amazing difference. I can never go back to Standard feedlot American Beef. With that stuff you can feel your arteries get hard. lol.
