Research Shows Quality Carbs Reduce Acne

Note from Connie: Goodness grief. There is so much sugar news! Thank goodness I have two wonderful part-time blog researchers/writers. This entry comes from Karen James. Incidentally, as Karen explains further, I wrote about this study in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, but the study didn’t come out until this month.

Foods low on the glycemic index such as beans and whole grains, which slowly release glucose into the blood stream after consumption and improve insulin sensitivity, may also help clear up acne, according to a newly published study, which Reuters Health discussed.

Robyn N. Smith, Ph.D., a researcher at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, was the lead author of the study in which researchers assessed the impact of low-glycemic-load carbohydrates on 43 male acne patients between the ages of 15 and 25.

The young men were assigned either a diet composed of 25 percent protein and 45 percent low-glycemic “quality” carbs or a normal diet consisting of carbohydrate-dense foods without reference to the glycemic index.

The study found that:

• Acne lesions in a group eating a low-glycemic diet group decreased more than in a control group.
• The low-glycemic eaters lost more weight and had a greater improvement in insulin sensitivity than the control group.

As Connie discusses in her book, high-glycemic-load foods such as refined grains and potatoes cause blood sugar levels to quickly spike and then fall and are believed to reduce insulin sensitivity.

Researchers counted and assessed the severity of acne lesions during monthly visits and measured insulin sensitivity at the start and finish of the trial.

Connie talks about this study in her book SUGAR SHOCK! while also discussing the role sugar may play in causing wrinkles. Although the study was published in the July 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, its findings were first announced at the15th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology in Greece in October 2006.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog