Before you chug down that glass of milk, think again — it could give you acne.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2005, there is a connection between dairy products and severe acne. Results showed that drinking three or more cups of milk a day increased severe acne by 22%, with results doubling with skim milk. So why do dairy products — specifically, milk — worsen the effects of acne? What’s in milk that causes acne? Well, it could be the cow’s fault!
Lay off the Dairy!
So why does milk worsen acne? Blame the hormones — the cow’s hormones, that is.
Pregnant cows produce milk full of hormones not meant for humans. When a human drinks cow’s milk, it interacts negatively with a person’s body. The hormones are digested and broken down into androgen, which promotes the production of sebrum. Sebrum is a waxy substance secreted from the glands surrounding your pores, which turns into acne.
This isn’t the only thing that causes your skin to blemish. Iodine, another substance found in cow’s milk, irritates your pores, promoting acne. According to James E. Fulton Jr., leader of the Acne Research Institute, one milligram of iodine a day causes flare-ups for acne-prone individuals. An analysis of milk samples concluded that 11% contained one milligram of iodine, enough for your face to break out.
Iodine isn’t naturally found in milk, however. Iodine enters a cow’s system through milking equipment and medication. You won’t find iodine (or hormones) in soy or rice milk.
Researchers also think that butterfat and milk sugar contribute to acne. Dairy allergies worsen acne too.
Should I Stop Drinking It?
To stop acne, just cut out milk, right? Wrong.
Although it causes you to break out, the solution isn’t to stop drinking it. Milk is rich in nutrients, especially calcium. If you decide to stop drinking it, you need to eat more calcium fortified foods. Teenagers require 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day, so make sure you get it from other sources, such as soy. Soy products, such as tofu or soy milk, are very rich in calcium (and healthy for you!). Soy products are huge in today’s natural market — you can even find it at Wal-Mart. Try adding tofu to a spicy stir-fry or put soy milk in your cereal. Soy milk is sweeter, but it’s healthy and delicious!
Orange juice is rich in calcium also, so drink up. Make sure you’re getting enough! This is especially important for teenage females, who require more calcium than teenage males. A lack of calcium leads to osteoporosis.
What You Should Avoid
If you want to decrease break outs, here’s what you should do:
– Avoid skim milk if you can. Skim milk increases severe acne by 44%.
– Replace dairy products made with cow’s milk with soy alternatives. Instead of eating regular cheese, eat soy cheese. Eat natural yogurt. Make pizza with shredded soy cheese. You can replace dairy with soy; better yet, you won’t lose flavor.
– Limit dairy intake.
– Eat calcium rich foods, such as soy products, canned salmon, or dark green vegetables.
– Visit a doctor if problems still persist.
Cows Are Definitely A Problem
With today’s technologies comes huge problems — for example, cow’s milk and how it causes break outs in teenagers. Some physicians think we weren’t meant to drink from the cow’s udder, and acne isn’t the only problem (have you heard about the link between breast cancer and dairy products?). Milking equipment is also a problem, since it’s transferring iodine into a cow. Currently, the only way to fix this is to limit your intake of dairy products, so make sure to eat your soy! It’s something you can drink that won’t make you break out, plus you get the benefits of calcium.
