The Best Diet For Acne - Does It Include Milk?

By Peggy Adamik

From an early age you might have been told to drink milk because it's good for you. It provides calcium and other minerals that keep your bones strong and healthy. But if you have acne, you may be wondering if what you eat is making it worse. Would milk be on a "best diet for acne" list? Or would it maybe be on a "worst diet for acne" list instead?

What's so bad about milk, anyway?
Milk and anything made from it contains the hormones of the animal who produced the milk. And that can be a lot; it's been estimated that milk can contain more than 50 different hormones. Why is this an issue? Well, if you have hormone-related acne, every time you drink milk or eat something made with milk you're taking in all those extra hormones--"extra" because they're in addition to the ones your own body makes. And those extras could affect the severity of your acne.

Of course these are female hormones, and people who know about hormone-related acne may say that it's the male hormones - the androgens, like testosterone - that can make acne worse. That's certainly true. But some female hormones, including progesterone, can be converted into androgenic forms like dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which increases sebum production and can lead to a flareup of acne.

What about organic milk? How does it compare to the "regular" kind?
Well, milk from cows raised on organic food won't have the growth hormones given to other cows to increase their milk production. But all the other female hormones will still be there, just because the animal is making milk. So in the case of acne, experts don't feel that it makes a difference whether you use regular or organic milk--both contain lots of hormones.

Don't forget other milk products
Remember that milk is present in many different kinds of foods, including some that might surprise you. All dairy products (like cheese, yogurt, and ice cream), with the exception of eggs, contain milk. But so do most "creamy" sauces and salad dressings. And so does a lot of chocolate. So if you've been noticing that chocolate makes your acne worse, maybe it's not the cocoa that's the problem.

Suggestions
If you're not sure if milk is making your acne worse, you can always try this variation of an elimination diet: Stop eating milk products for as long as possible (at least a week, but preferably longer). See how your acne responds to this change, then add milk back into your diet. If your acne gets better during the elimination period, or worse during the reintroduction, then you'll know it's related to milk products.

It does seem best to avoid milk and milk products as much as possible if you have acne, especially if it's hormone-related. But this can be hard, even for people who don't like the beverage, because of all the other foods it's in. There are some alternatives you can try, though.

Soy is probably at the top of the list. Soy milk comes plain (which is best for cooking) and sweetened, and even in flavors like chocolate. There's also milk made from rice, oats, and almonds. And many of these have been used to make other "dairy-like" products, including yogurt, cheese, and even ice cream.

If you like chocolate, stick with the darker kinds, or check the list of ingredients on the label to see whether there's milk in the chocolate. As a matter of fact, it's probably a good idea to get in the habit of reading labels. The ingredients of some of your favorite foods may surprise you.

Some people really believe that dietary changes are the key to controlling or maybe even curing acne. If you think dairy products make your acne worse, try a few of these suggestions. If they help, you'll not only have more information (about what contributes to your acne), but you'll have clearer skin too. And you'll be on your way to finding the best diet for acne.


Peggy Adamik is a former RN. She writes about many different health topics, but she's especially interested in holistic therapies. Check out her page The Best Diet for Acne for more information about the relationship between acne and food.
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