What Foods Do You Eat to Make Your Skin Look Good?

You who go searching for the age-old question, “What should I eat to improve my skin?”, a number of suggestions will pop up with heartwarming declarations – “Get glowing skin!””Get rid of acne!””Shine from the inside out!”

The advice is usually along the following lines: give up chocolate, give up dairy, give up other junk food.

Are these recommendations reliable?Is there any evidence to support them?

Does eating chocolate cause acne?

As early as the mid-20th century, researchers began studying how diet affects skin health, especially acne.Dermatology textbooks from the 1930s suggested that acne could be improved by eating fewer carbohydrates, sweets, and junk food.However, these recommendations were based on the observations and experiences of doctors, not high-quality research.

Of all the junk foods, chocolate is often cited as a culprit for aggravating acne problems.In a 1969 study, 65 people with acne problems were asked to eat a slab of chocolate every day for four weeks.But the chocolate they ate had a mystery within: it was either highly concentrated, with ten times the chocolate content of regular chocolate, or it just looked exactly like chocolate, but actually contained no chocolate.The results showed that the participants who ate the chocolate didn’t have worse acne breakouts, and had roughly similar breakouts to those who didn’t.

A 1971 study found similar results.Twenty-seven students who thought they were prone to acne by ingesting dairy products then ate large amounts of chocolate, milk, roasted peanuts, or soft drinks over the course of a week.As a result there was no significant difference in the number of acne outbreaks between the groups.

But these studies also had more significant limitations.The sponsor of the 1969 study, was the Chocolate Manufacturers Association of America.And neither study evaluated the other foods the participants consumed during the study period, other foods that may have also affected their skin condition.

Take a look at some of the newer studies. a 2011 study found that 10 men between the ages of 18 and 35 experienced significant changes in acne severity after a single consumption of plain chocolate (100% cocoa).There was a strong correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed and the number of acne outbreaks within 4 and 7 days after eating the chocolate.

All in all, the conflicting results of multiple studies make it impossible to give definitive advice about chocolate at this time.

However, better-quality research does suggest that if you want to improve your skin, try some other dietary strategies, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and eating more foods with a low glycemic load.

What are “low glycemic load foods”?

Different carbohydrates are converted into glucose and absorbed into our bloodstream at different speeds.The “glycemic index” (abbreviated GI) is used to reflect this speed, which is a rating of carbohydrates with a number between 0 and 100.The higher the glycemic index of a food, the faster our blood sugar rises when digesting that food.Most junk foods (candy, chips and cakes) have a high glycemic index.

If you consider both the glycemic index and the amount of food consumed, you get a “glycemic load” (GL), which more accurately describes the overall effect of food on blood glucose levels.

Once glucose enters the bloodstream, it is transferred to our cells by insulin for use as energy.The higher the glycemic load of the diet, the higher the insulin levels will be.High insulin levels, in turn, increase a hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which causes things to grow on the skin – like acne.

In scientific research, a randomized controlled trial is considered the best gold standard because it will compare a control group with a control group.In a 2008 randomized controlled trial, 31 acne-prone males between the ages of 15-25 years were asked to follow either a low-glycemic-load or a high-glycemic-load diet for 12 weeks.The low glycemic load group was asked to eat low glycemic index foods (lean meats, fruits, whole grain breads and pasta) and not to eat high glycemic index foods (processed grains, potatoes, white breads and rice).The high glycemic load group, on the other hand, was encouraged to include carbohydrates as part of their daily diet and were not educated about the glycemic index.As a result, those who followed the low glycemic load diet noticed an improvement in their acne and lost weight.

A 2007 randomized controlled trial had similar findings.But because participants in both studies who took part in the low-glycemic-load diet lost weight, it’s also possible that the improvement in their skin was due to weight loss, rather than the diet itself.

Fruits and vegetables for good skin

Fruits and vegetables are good for many aspects of our bodies.Studies have shown that fruits and vegetables also color our skin with a natural, healthy glow – slightly yellow and red.

The color of our skin is affected by three pigments – hemoglobin, carotenoids and melanin.Many fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids, which bring deep greens to broccoli and spinach, bright oranges to carrots and oranges, and warm reds to peppers and tomatoes.

When you eat fruits and vegetables, these pigments build up in your skin, resulting in a healthy golden glow.Nutritional supplements have not been found to have the same benefits.So the best way to get carotenoids is by eating lots of different fruits and vegetables.

What about milk?

Milk naturally contains growth hormones, anabolic steroids, and other growth factors.In a complex metabolic pathway, these factors lead to the release of insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which stimulate the formation and development of acne.

Several studies have examined the link between milk and acne.In the 2005 study, 50,000 women recalled their high school diets and were asked if they had been diagnosed with severe acne by their doctors.The researchers found that those who consumed more milk (especially skim milk) were more likely to develop acne. a 2006 study of about 6,000 teenage girls and a 2008 study of about 4,700 male teens came up with similar results.

However, there have been no randomized controlled trials to study the relationship between milk and acne.This means that it is not yet certain whether dairy products are the cause of acne.High-quality research will have to be conducted before specific recommendations can be made.

Final recommendations

If you want to improve your skin, try the following strategies:

• Eat less foods with a high glycemic load, such as processed foods and junk foods.
• Eat more foods with a low glycemic load that won’t spike your blood sugar levels, such as vegetables, sweet potatoes, barley, beans, and mixed grain breads.
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables so that your skin gets a healthy glow.