The link between cow’s milk and acne has long been controversial. Way back in 1924, a doctor, Albert Hoge, wrote in the Journal of American Medicine about one of his young patients developing acne after his mother forced him to drink cow’s milk. Many people seem to develop an allergy to milk products which can cause skin rashes as well as digestive upsets.
It seems that more and more scientists, doctors and nutritionists are becoming convinced that cow’s milk plays a large part in causing acne. This seems to be borne out by a study published in 2005 where researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who drank three or more cups of milk a day were 22% more likely to experience severe acne compared with those who drank less. What was surprising was that drinking skimmed milk was more likely to cause acne than full-fat milk.
Let’s look at why drinking milk can cause acne? There has been suggestion that drinking milk an eating dairy products originating from pregnant cows exposes us to an unnatural level of hormones. These hormones contain estrogens, progesterones and androgens which are metabolized by our bodies, leading to an over-production of oil in the sebaceous glands, one of the causes of acne. Futhermore, pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers and hormones are added to milk.
At least 85% of teenagers suffer with acne and what do most teenagers love to eat – cheese pizzas and milk chocolate. It’s an almost impossible taks to get teenagers to give up dairy products, but if they are suffering with acne then it’s worth them eliminating dairy for a while to see if it clears up.
Milk is rich in calcium, so it’s important to eat other calcium rich foods to replace dairy.Here are some suggestive alternatives:
- Replace cow’s milk with calcium enriched soy milk. I would recommend that you buy organic soy milk.
- If you find it hard to give up cheese, try a non-dairy version made from soy. Try sprinkling it on your home-made pizzas – yummy!
- Love desserts? Try soy yogurt which comes in different flavors.
- If you crave chocolate then try dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants which make it healthier for you than dairy chocolate. Before you get excited, dark chocolate contains a lot of fat and calories: so, limit your consumption.
- Eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables which are rich in calcium such as spinach and kale. Also, foods such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, sesame seeds, almonds, tofu, salmon and sardines are all rich in calcium.
If you think that milk is aggravating your acne, why not try eliminating dairy products from your diet for a while and repalce with other alternatives.
Cow’s milk is not the only trigger for acne, so if you want to know more about acne and treatment, please make sure you take a look at my Clear Skin Guide website.
