Poor dietary habits linked to breakouts

Washington: How often do you gorge on junk and unhealthy food? Are you facing acne problems too often? A new study has found a link between the two. Poor dietary habits can increase stress and can influence skincare problems like acne, the research has found. The research was presented during a meeting at the '28th EADV Congress' in Madrid.

The study evaluated the exposure to different worsening factors on acne more than 6,700 participants across six countries in North America, South America and Europe. This is the first research analysing both external and internal factors that can influence acne.

The results of the study showed that significantly more individuals with acne (48.2 per cent) consume dairy products on a daily basis compared to individuals who did not (38.8 per cent). The difference was also statistically significant for soda juices or syrups (35.6 per cent vs 31 per cent), pastries and chocolate (37 per cent vs 27.8 per cent) and sweets (29.7 per cent vs 19.1 per cent). Surprisingly 11per cent of acne sufferers consume whey proteins versus 7 per cent without acne, and 11.9 per cent of acne sufferers consume anabolic steroids versus 3.2 per cent without acne.

Giving detailed information about the study, lead researcher Professor Brigitte Dreno said, "Acne is one of the most common reasons why people with skin issues contact a dermatologist. Its severity and response to treatment may be influenced by internal and external factors, which we call the exposome. For the first time, this study allows us to identify the most important exposome factors relating to acne from patient questioning prior to any treatment prescription."

Apart from the dietary habits, exposure to pollution or to stress was also more frequently observed in participants with acne compared to control participants. The research also found that harsh skincare practices were more common in acne sufferers.

Conversely, tobacco, which has previously been showed as a potential acne trigger, was not shown to have an influence. Acne is estimated to affect one in 10 people globally, making it the eighth-most prevalent disease worldwide. It has been recently reported that acne affects also up to 40 per cent of adult females.