Doctors and other Experts Admitting the Diet and Acne Connection

Contrary to what the average American dermatologist tells you, diet affects acne in so many ways. It isn't possible for it not to. Many, not-so-average, doctors know this and researchers have been proving it for decades.  

I've had that statement at the top of my blog since I started. I think it's time I posted the list I've been gathering of those doctors and other experts. Most of these are over a year old. I haven't come across a new one lately. If you have, please let me know. 

Dr Arthur Agatston, the doctor who created the South Beach Diet and an important cardiologist, prescribes a low to moderate glycemic load diet for acne. 

In a survey of South Beach dieters, a mainstream moderately low Glycemic diet, 86% reported improvement in their acne. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/589308.  

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Here are some others:

Dr. Leslie Bauman, author of bestseller The Skin Type Solution, professor and Director of Dermatology at the U of Miami and textbook author, mainstream doctor  recommends a low Glycemic Load, anti-oxidant rich diet for acne. 

In the book and in her website and blogs. In this blog post, she also admits to dairy containing the same hormones (IGF-1) that cause acne.  http://health.yahoo.com/experts/skintype/1...xXnBqdTeKbd1IZ4

In  another blog post she explains how sugar/high GL, inflammatory diet ages your skin and causes wrinkles.
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Doctor Oz, when asked by audience members will briefly mention how a high glycemic food can stimulate oil and exacerbate acne.  

In one episode he had as guests:
Dr Arthur Agatston,
OB/GYN Dr. Christiane Northrup, who is a more interested in diet and lifestyle than drugs and surguries.

And Dr. Perricone, a dermatologist and nutritionist well known for talking about diet for healthy skin and has a book called something like the Acne Prescription Diet. 

And so when Dr. Oz asked Dr. Perricone about anti-inflammatory diets and acne, Perricone confirmed that such diets clear skin. And then Dr. Oz asked the other two if they'd noticed the same thing in their practice, and they both confirmed that they had. 

Then when it was Dr Agatston's turn, he brought up the survey done on South Beach dieters that showed dieters experienced clearer skin.  

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Dermatologists, Dr William Danby and Dr. Valori Treloar, who were interviewed in the articles below,  advocate no dairy and a low-glycemic diet for acne. 

A Clear Connection? Most dermatologists tell their patients diet plays no role in acne. New research suggests that's wrong.

How a pint of milk a day can give you acne

One article states, "Treloar and Danby say they can count on both hands the number of US dermatologists and researchers who lend their voices and efforts to helping prove a food-acne connection." That statement alone shows that the diet-acne connection isn't being taken seriously. Until that changes, when it comes to diet, people are better off listening to the experiences of other acne sufferers and their conclusions or to the few derms that believe in the diet-acne connection!


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Now.... if only the derms would investigate the role of cruciferous veggies and their powerful ability to help clear skin!!  

Dr. Joel Fuhrman is one doctor who admits to cruciferous vegetables being crucial in the recovery of his patients with acne.

Acne: Diet a Major Determining Factor 

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Jillian Michaels, trainer on The Biggest Loser and author of Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!  names acne, PMS, fatigue, among the symptoms of poor hormone regulation.

Article and excerpt from her book http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30072993/ 
And a video of her Today show appearance. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30087875#30087875 

Nutritionist Dr. Loren Cordain, author of The Dietary Cure for Acne

Dr. Cordain is a Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. His research emphasis over the past 15 years has focused upon the evolutionary and anthropological basis for diet, health and well being in modern humans. Dr. Cordain's scientific publications have examined the nutritional characteristics of worldwide hunter-gatherer diets as well as the nutrient composition of wild plant and animal foods consumed by foraging humans. Over the past five years his work has focused upon the adverse health effects of the high dietary glycemic load that is ubiquitous in the typical western diet. A number of his recent papers have proposed an endocrine link between dietary induced hyperinsulinemia and acne.

www.thepaleodiet.com, wikipedia article.

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Dr. Joseph Mercola:

"Plagued by Pimples?"
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles...e-for-good.aspx 

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Dr. Mark Hyman:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyma...a_b_822163.html

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Dr Jeanette Graf.  I Don't know anything about her except she appeared on CBS national news and spent most of the time talking about mainstream OTC and prescription treatments so she's mainstream, not at all holistic. And big enough to do a spot on national news. At the end, she does mention diet and stress. Specifically saying they affect hormones and that there are studies showing dairy and sugars affect acne.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwWd3AhPtM 

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The Royal Melbourne Hospital Dermatology researchers Dr George Varigos, and Associate Professor Mann - conductors of probably our most well known studies demonstrating the connection between high Glycemic diets and acne. And several years back, there were people here on the acne.org board conversing with them as they completed the study. They had such high hopes about getting the word out to everyone and making this common knowledge. It was in quite a few publications, but not enough. 

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Not a doctor but a mainstream skin care expert, Paula Begoun aka the Cosmeticscop is now telling people that there is a diet connection. After many years of telling people diet had no affect.

The Diet & Skin Connection: From Acne to Wrinkles!

"Are we what we eat? In essence, yes! The foods you eat can have a tremendous impact on how your skin looks, how it ages, and how it heals. Find out what to add to your diet, and what to avoid. It's a critical step in having the skin you've always wanted! "  View article »  

However, she says conflicting things on various pages on her website which changes all the time so do the links.  Elsewhere the site says the only way diet affects acne is if you are intolerant to some food, which is actually just one of the many ways diet affects acne. But, at least she admits to a food intolerance connection there. Not many 'experts' do.

Integrative Dermatologists

So, now there's a group calling themselves Integrative Dermatologists. Integrative medicine is about doctors that know how important nutrients are to bodily function and illness, unlike the average doctor that only has a vague idea that nutrients are good while being quite certain that what you really need is some drugs.

http://www.integrati...al-information/ The site doesn't have much info on it. They are selling a book and appointments.