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Milk can make teenage acne worse?
Filed under: Teens, Nutrition: Health
I had huge acne when I was a teenager. My acne was the kind that hurt, under the skin stuff that felt like a revolting beacon on my nose, forehead, chin. I remember being told: Stay away from chocolate! Grease is bad for zits! Try this product. I spent nearly all my bussing tips on special potions and lotions and creams, to no avail. Perhaps, suggests a recent study done by Harvard University, I should have just stopped drinking milk.
According to the research, teens who drank a pint of milk or more a day were nearly 50% more likely to develop pimples that those who rarely or never drink milk. Analysis of over 47,000 teenage diets revealed that skim milk drinkers were at most risk for acne (raising the risk by 44%), followed by whole milk drinkers who were 12% more likely to develop the unsightly stuff.
Chocolate and french fries, it turns out, don't promote acne. However, certain dairy products like cream and cottage cheese, do.
I wish I would have known this in high school. I might have saved myself a whole lot of angst.
According to the research, teens who drank a pint of milk or more a day were nearly 50% more likely to develop pimples that those who rarely or never drink milk. Analysis of over 47,000 teenage diets revealed that skim milk drinkers were at most risk for acne (raising the risk by 44%), followed by whole milk drinkers who were 12% more likely to develop the unsightly stuff.
Chocolate and french fries, it turns out, don't promote acne. However, certain dairy products like cream and cottage cheese, do.
I wish I would have known this in high school. I might have saved myself a whole lot of angst.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
5-10-2007 @ 7:55AM
lin said...They always come out with something new but I do have to say I never drank any milk and also can count on one hand the amount of pimples I've had in my life.
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5-10-2007 @ 10:00AM
foxb said...The teenage girl I used to nanny, switched from regular to organic milk and her acne cleared up completely! Take note.
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5-10-2007 @ 10:02AM
brandi said...well I think they will always find something bad about every thing! I drank milk as a teenager alot and I mean alot! And it was whole milk and all everybody would ever say to me is that my complexion looked like a porcelain doll! I dont think it has to do with anything that you eat or drink I think its your hormones! People shouldn't take these "studies" so literally! They will change it in a few years anyway!
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5-10-2007 @ 10:04AM
Marie said...I can't believe that we are still discussing dietary issues relating to acne. I thought that went out in the 60's. If the Harvard researcher doesn't believe in human consumption of milk that's his choice. We have teenagers allready drinking too much soda and other empty caffeine bererages. I had serious acne as a teenager my brother didn' tand we ate the same diet. Acne is genetically related as to the size of the pores and amount of oil secreted. Nurse in Dairyland
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5-10-2007 @ 10:13AM
Amanda said...I have to agree (sort of) with Marie. my brother and sister and I all drank milk like it was the only fluid on the planet! I am thirty and I still drink it like crazy, of course now I'm all 2%. I had beautiful skin until I turned 23 all of a sudden I developed severe nodular acne, the painful kind that Kristin describes in this article. I took Accutane and in a year it was all gone. I think there are several contributing factors to acne and SOMETIMES diet can be one. I don't think people should forego milk though! you need all that calcium and vitamin D!
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5-10-2007 @ 2:20PM
Shay said...I tried going off milk (and cheese, butter and yogurt) as an acned teenager. Didn't do me a bit of good. It seems to me that with acne, nothing is going to work for everyone.
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5-11-2007 @ 11:36PM
SKL said...1) Agree with the poster that said try ORGANIC milk. (And other organic products.) Maybe it's the hormones! (And the additives.)
2) Chocolate and french fries do cause acne for some people. Not everyone. But it should not be ruled out until each individual tries giving it up completely for at least a couple of weeks. My acne decreased by at least 95% after I gave up fries and chocolate. And I'm not the only one. It's a kind of allergic reaction for some people.
3) Teens should be encouraged to drink a lot of milk because it will stave off osteoporosis in their later years - a fate much worse than pimples. Milk also has many other health benefits and is a mood booster. (Vegans - perhaps there are alternatives but for most of us, milk is a super food.)
4) Teens need to be encouraged to observe basic rules like: don't touch your face unless you've just washed your hands; wash your face morning and night with mildly medicated soap; don't overdo the washing nor the topical medications; only use make-up that is formulated for people with acne; get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, eat fruits and veggies, and don't overdo the caffeine; don't wage a major battle over every zit. I think we tell teens these things among a thousand other things, but they don't really believe it can make a big difference. (I know I didn't.)
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