The good news: chocolate has been cleared of the gossipy charges that eating it is a sure path to acne troubles. The bad news: baked potatoes, French bread, jellybeans and other foods with a high glycemic rating are being fingered for causing zits.

The glycemic index (GI) was introduced in 1981 by University of Toronto professor of nutrition Dr. David Jenkins to unravel which carbohydrate foods best suited a diabetic diet. The GI ranking is a measure of how a food affects blood sugar levels. The faster a food breaks down during digestion, the higher the GI. Likewise, the longer it takes for a food to digest, the lower the ranking.

A study recently conducted by Loren Cordain, PhD, a Colorado State University health and exercise scientist, and his colleagues, (and published in the Archives of Dermatology), decided to see how the glycemic rankings impacted skin. The researchers looked at the skin of more than 1,300 Kitivan Islanders of Papua New Guinea and the Ache hunter-gathers of Paraguay who ate traditional diets. Cordain found that none had an active case of acne. In contrast, of those living in modern, Western societies eating a typical Western diet, between 79 and 95 percent of adolescents were battling acne and between 40 and 54 percent of men and women 25 and older were still breaking out. Cordain suggests that the difference is environmental, particularly the diet differences between the two groups.

The typical Western diet is heavy on refined grain breads, sugar-laden soft drinks, French fries, and processed treats like cookies and cakes. The Kitivans load their diets with fruit, fish, and tubers. Likewise, the Ache fuel up on whole foods found locally such as peanuts, wild game, and the sweet native root, manioc.

So exactly how does what you eat affect your skin? The study theorizes that our high glycemic diet dials up insulin levels, which then steers our system into acne mode by indirectly bumping up oil (sebum) and skin cell production in our pores. Higher sebum levels and cells stuck deep within the pores provide a veritable feast to bacteria that make a home within follicles. When the pores become clogged with excess oil and skin cells, you get a pimple. Clog a lot of pores and you get a lot of pimples.

The study goes on to predict that if you change your diet to incorporate low glycemic foods while keeping your plate free of high glycemic eats, your skin should show an improvement. A study published in 2001, and cited in the acne study, showed that a low glycemic diet would alter your system to produce less sebum and regulate skin cell production, which would tame acne, if not eliminate it altogether in many cases. Less oils on the skin, less acne, period (hence the beauty of using oil reducing agents).

Navigating the glycemic index isn't difficult. It's simply a scale based on glucose, which is rated at 100. The lower the glycemic index of the food you eat, the less it will trigger the release of insulin. But the index isn't foolproof and it can be more daunting to change your diet over a prolonged period of time. While a baked potato ranks an 85 on the index, when you add butter or sour cream, the fat in those foods will slow the release of insulin the would have been caused by the potato alone. And most of us don't just eat one food at a time, so other factors such as when you last ate and what else you are eating at the time can alter the insulin impact. Finally, only about 1,000 carbohydrate foods have been evaluated for their glycemic index. As a general guide though, here are some examples of high, medium, and low glycemic foods:

High Glycemic Foods (71-100+ on the scale)

• Tofu frozen dessert 115
• Dates 103
• French bread 95
• Crisped Rice cereal 88
• Baked potato 85
• Corn flakes cereal 84
• Pretzels 81
• Jelly Beans 80
• Donut 76
• French fries 76
• Frozen waffle 76
• Graham crackers 74
• Corn chips 73
• Mashed potatoes 73
• Bagel 72
• Watermelon 72
• Carrots 71

Medium Glycemic Foods (55-70 on the scale)

• White bread 70
• Instant oatmeal 66
• Table sugar 65
• Raisins 64
• Ice cream 61
• Granola bar 61
• Blueberry muffin 59
• White rice 56
• Brown rice 55

Low Glycemic Foods (less than 55 on the scale)

• Sweet potato 54
• Long grain rice 47
• Heavy, mixed grain bread 30-45
• Fettuccini 32
• Fat free milk 32
• Peach 28
• Lentils 28
• Plum 24
• Cherries 22
• Soybeans 18
• Tomatoes 15
• Broccoli 15
• Asparagus 15
• Cucumber 15
• Peanuts 14

VitaMedica Healthy Skin Formula is a nutritional supplement that provides internal skin care by enhancing the body's natural systems for repairing, cleansing and healing. The supplement is intended as an adjunctive therapy to the topical products and/or treatments that skin care professionals recommend for acne patients.

Many topical treatments for the care of acne and inflammatory disorders of the skin are currently available. While effective, these regimens contain products that produce an action primarily on the outer layer of the skin. Although the topical approach represents the foundation of good skin care, it also makes sense to address what is going on internally. That's because what you put inside your body may be just as important as what you apply externally.

VitaMedica Healthy Skin Formula is indicated for patients with mild to moderate acne. The product is suitable for patients 12 years or older. This nutraceutical is ideal for individuals who do not eat a well-balanced diet on a consistent basis. Certain individuals should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning the program particularly diabetics, pregnant or lactating women. Healthy Skin Formula contains Vitamin A. If you are presently taking Accutane (isotretinoin) for the treatment of acne, please refrain from taking HEALTHY SKIN FORMULA until the end of the treatment cycle.

If your skin has always been a challenge, it may be worthwhile to see if changing what you eat does indeed make a difference in how you look. But you may prefer trying smaller dietary compromises rather than trying to go all out. It is certainly easier to make lesser changes that last a lifetime than to expect to remain true to a drastic diet forever.

Nordihydroguiaretic acid (NDGA) is a natural, plant derived lipooxygenase inhibitor, meaning it's function is to reduce inflammation and has been detailed in journal articles such as The Journal of Biochemistry and Pharmacology (March 2002) to possess the ability to reduce 5-alpha reductase function; the enzyme responsible for changing testosterone into DHT.

Oleanolic acid according to a journal article out of the University of Kansas department of Toxicology and Pharmacology may work to help reduce inflammation and help reduce lipid (fatty acid) levels.

Both DERMAdoctor Calm Cool & Corrected Anti-Redness Tranquility Cream and DERMAdoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Medicated Acne Control Serum contain NDGA and Oleanolic Acid. Combined, they are a dynamic pair to help with oil reduction and improve the appearance of blemishes without having to give up that last slice of bread. Think of it as your natural cosmetic alternative to an impossibly extreme permanent lifestyle change.

Karmen B. Saran
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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