If you suffered from acne as a teenager, you know how hard it can be. The anxiety and embarrassment can be overwhelming.
In my own practice, hundreds of teenagers – and many adults too – have come to me for answers after seeing every dermatologist in town. My solution? A better diet.
If you could only see the look on parents’ faces when I suggest that diet will cure their child’s acne… They act as if I should have my medical license revoked. But when they see the results months later, they practically fall over themselves with gratitude.
Today, I’ll share new evidence that diet has an undeniable link to acne. My friend and colleague, Dr. Loren Cordain, just released The Dietary Cure for Acne. This remarkable program is getting rave reviews and producing reliable results for those suffering from acne.
If you’re a long-term reader, you’ll remember my articles about the “caveman diet.” Dr. Cordain was one of the first to show that our ancient ancestors ate more fat and protein – and fewer carbs – than we do today.
After researching the connection between diet and acne, Dr. Cordain discovered that anyone – including you – can eliminate acne by avoiding processed and refined foods and eating more lean meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Cordain found new evidence in the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes. Living in far-flung locales like Paraguay and Papua New Guinea, these cultures still follow their traditional diets, which haven’t changed for centuries.
In 2002, Dr. Cordain’s team of researchers studied the Kitavan people who live on remote islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Their sample included 300 teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25.
Their findings were startling. Not a single case of acne! Later, his colleagues examined 115 hunter-gatherers living in a remote jungle in Paraguay. This time, they followed their subjects for 2 years, periodically checking for signs of acne. Not a single case!
Compare that to American teenagers: 79 to 95 percent of US teens between the ages of 16 and 18 have acne.
Coincidence? Not by a long shot… This is not the first time researchers have seen the effect of diet and acne on native populations. From the late 1940s through the early 1970s, Dr. Otto Schaefer was a frontier physician. He treated the Inuit (Eskimo) people in some of the most remote villages and outposts on Earth.
When he started his practice, the Inuit were still following their native diets. This consisted of wild animals obtained from hunting and fishing, along with a few wild plants gathered during the summer.
But as the Western diet encroached upon their old traditions, their health began to decline. In 1971, Dr. Schaefer noted that the locals were starting to talk about the changes they noticed in the complexions of the teenage Inuit. Acne was everywhere. Yet the medical establishment still maintained that diet had nothing to do with these dramatic changes.
So what are Americans eating that causes such trouble? As Dr. Cordain points out, over 70 percent of the energy we get in our diets comes from refined sugars, grains, vegetable oils and dairy. And that’s downright dangerous…
The same foods causing acne are the same ones that promote obesity, heart disease and cancer. Sound familiar?
Landmark Study Supports – and Proves – the Dietary Acne Cure
In November of 2005, Dr. Cordain met with Dr. Neil Mann from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. Two years earlier, Dr. Mann had launched his own study based on Dr. Cordain’s work. Now Dr. Mann was ready to share the results.
Dr. Mann worked with 43 acne patients for 2 years. Using diet alone, he was able to improve and in many cases, reverse the acne of his patients.
A high protein, low glycemic load diet was the key. Glycemic load is the number of grams of carbs you’ll find in a serving of a particular food. (Glycemic index is how quickly the food will spike your blood sugar.)
To give you a better idea of how this works, let’s look at watermelon. It has a relatively high glycemic index, meaning that it breaks down into sugars rather quickly. But its glycemic load is very low. So the total number of carbs it has will not have an impact on your insulin levels. (Keeping insulin low is one of the keys of weight loss and a long life.)
Low glycemic foods prevent acne. But they also prevent chronic disease. So even if you don’t have acne, Dr. Cordain’s diet is perfect for weight loss and disease prevention. Use it for a lifestyle that’s full of energy and free of disease.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD