Indigenous people usually don’t get acne

According to Dr. Julian Whitaker, acne is virtually nonexistent in cultures that eat a traditional diet of wild game, fish, fruit, tubers, and the like. Indigenous hunter-gatherer societies such as the Bantu and Zulu of Africa, Kitava islanders in the South Pacific, and Eskimos of Canada don’t get acne when they follow ancient dietary practices. Researchers found that none had a single blackhead, pimple, or other sign of acne – not one!

However, when they move to cities or are introduced to refined sugars, grains, processed oils, sweetened sodas and colas and other processed foods, acne becomes as common for them as it is for Westerners.

Experts such as Dr. Whitaker have come to the conclusion that acne is “a disease of Western civilization.” More specifically, our epidemic of acne rests squarely on the shoulders of our “civilized” diet, especially our unbridled consumption of what are called high-glycemic (GI) carbohydrates, which is unprecedented in human history.

The insulin connection

White bread, bagels, cereal, white rice, pasta, chips, desserts, pastries, pies, candy (it’s not the cacao but the sugar), and other sugary, starchy, high-GI food make up nearly half of the average American’s total caloric intake. Teenagers typically add lots of sugared soft drinks.

When you eat the above simple carbs (carbohydrates from grains, fruits and vegetables with the fiber eliminated), they are rapidly converted into glucose and your blood sugar sharply rises. In response, your pancreas organ has to churn out large amounts of insulin in order to dispose of all that glucose.

If this problem sounds familiar, it’s because we have repeated it in many wellness library articles. Over time, your cells become less sensitive to take up glucose, a condition known as insulin resistance.

This condition is linked with a host of problems such as hypertension, obesity, cholesterol elevation, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease. This cluster of conditions, called metabolic syndrome (formerly called syndrome X) is a huge problem in our country. According to a government agency 70% of Americans have at least one of these insulin resistance-related disorders.

Sugar + Starches = Acne

Many experts believe that acne should be added to this list. Elevated insulin triggers a cascade of hormonal reactions that adversely affect the skin.

• First it prompts the secretion of androgens, hormones that cause the sebaceous, oil-producing, glands in the skin to secrete excessive amounts of sebum, or oil.
• Second, it increases a growth factor that stimulates the overproduction of skin cells called keratinocytes and impairs the normal sloughing off of cells on the surface of the skin.
• Third, it triggers chronic inflammation which can be likened to an ongoing fire within the body. Pores become blocked and inflamed and bacteria in the skin get trapped under proliferating cells, setting the stage for skin problems such as blackheads and pimples.

What to eat and drink to avoid acne

Totally Avoid

• Starches like potatoes and anything made with sugar (food with a high glycemic index)
• High-fructose corn syrup
• All soft drinks other than natural fruit juices
• Refined vegetable oils
• Dairy products (Professor Loren Cordain describes pasteurized milk as a “hormone cocktail”)
• Diet Sodas (the aspartame or fake sweetener is believed to be connected with acne break-outs)

Replace them with:

• Naturally grown vegetables, fruits, and nuts, along with plenty of protein from fish, poultry, and lean beef.

• Carrots and other brightly colored fruits and vegetables are a good source of beta-carotene, which is converted by the body into vitamin A, which is critical to maintaining healthy skin.

• Include 2-4 grams of fish oil a day.

• Flax-seed oil, high in essential fatty acids, has been shown to improve any skin condition, including oily skin. Take 1 tablespoon a day. Store the oil in your fridge to keep from going rancid. It’s best to buy the seeds in bulk and grind a tablespoon daily in your coffee grinder. That way the oil is very fresh.

• Add 25-50 mg of zinc in your daily supplement program. Other vitamins and minerals correlated with acne treatment include: magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin D.

• Try a regimen of natural vitamin A for 3 months. Take 150,000 IU per day for one month, 100,000 IU per day for the second month, and 50,000 IU for the third month.
  • Find vitamin A at your local drugstore. Purchase pure vitamin A and not the beta-carotene form. Warning: High levels of vitamin A are dangerous and can lead to toxicity in the body.

The proof is in the mirror

What intrigued Dr. Julian Whitaker about the above approach is that he can now offer patients something that really works besides drugs such as Accutane (with their myriad adverse effects).

What later satisfied him was the success of many of his patients who followed this protocol. The proof was in the mirror.

Fast results and tremendous side effects
According to Dr. Whitaker, one of the best selling points of this nutritional approach to acne is that you’ll see results fast. It takes about 30 days for skin cells to turn over, so expect to see improvements with a week or two after making these dietary changes.

You’ll reap other benefits as well. Many people lost weight because the diet is essentially the same one that Dr. Whitaker recommends for weight loss.

Resource Center:

For details on a dietary approach to acne, read Dr. Cordain’s book The Dietary Cure for Acne, available at www.dietaryacnecure.com.

Dr. Whitaker publishes an independent health newsletter. For information visit www.drwhitaker.com.

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