Gut Check: The Connection Between Clear Skin Complexion and Gut Health
Do you know that healing your gut can also heal your skin? Yes! Your diet does have direct impacts on your skin health. According to the Dermatology Times, there is a strong gut-skin connection that relates to the gut microbiome.
Gut Microbiome — The Science Behind The Skin-Gut Relationship
The term gut microbiome refers to the community of microorganisms living in the human organ tract. These include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Due to its impact on human overall health, including the skin, it is crucial to keep the beneficial bacteria balanced in the gut environment. An imbalance of healthy gut bacteria would damage the immune system. This leads to inflammation, which causes acne as one of the most frequently seen outcomes.
Anti-Acne Diet
Have you ever experienced a sudden attack of pimples simply after having some creamy desserts or drinking a cup of coffee? I know I have! As we know the interconnection between gut and skin health, it’s now easier to keep the attack of acne under control. Let’s figure out the anti-acne diet to heal your gut for better skin!
- Dairy might cause your breakouts
Milk, one of many people’s diet staples has been proven unfriendly for acne-prone skin. This is due to hormonal influence. Particularly, cow’s milk contains IGF-1 (an insulin-like growth factor) and androgens (Malekinejad & Rezabakhsh, 2015). These 2 substances stimulate the skin’s oil over-production, contributing to acne formation. Furthermore, an increasing amount of IGF-1 as a growth factor promotes overgrowth of skin cells. An abundance amount of skin cells and sebum (skin oil) together clogged the pores and, as a result, increased the acne breakouts.
2. Refined sugar - Much more than just an addiction
Over-consumption of refined sugar does make your skin break out. Sweet desserts do bring you momentary happiness. Yet, the consequences of those happy moments could be stressful in the long term. Not limited to desserts, refined sugar can be found in multiple forms — specifically refined carbohydrates. A diet rich in refined carbohydrates could be found more frequently in people who suffer from acne compared to those who do not (Mahmood & Bowe, 2014). Bread, cereal, pasta, and white rice are the most common forms of refined carbohydrates which are high in sugar. Furthermore, the “empty calories” in beverages (soft drinks, coffee, milk tea) that are being consumed daily also contain a significant amount of refined sugar. All of these products that you unconsciously consume daily could be contributing to your damaged skin.
This could be explained by refined carbohydrates' fast rate of absorption into the bloodstream, which leads to the rapid rise of blood sugar levels (American Heart Association, 2013). This triggers insulin levels to rise. Similar to the effect of dairy, insulin increases androgen hormone active levels and contributes to the boosting of sebum and skin cell production to clog the pores.
3. Pro-biotics for a happy gut
Happy gut equals happy skin! Introducing healthy bacteria into your system through a healthy diet is a good way to create a balanced environment in the gut. A certain amount of probiotics have been showing results of boosting skin’s ceramides or lipids production. The process helps moisture to be retained in the skin and keeps bacteria that cause acne in check.
One of these probiotics is Lactobacillus Rhamnosus which can be found in multiple products to be added to daily consumption. For instance: yogurt, fermented vegetables (kimchi, sauerkraut, etc), and kombucha (which has gained popularity in recent years).
4. Caffeine
Diet is not restricted to food but also includes beverages. Surprisingly, having a cup of coffee could trigger your gut system and cause breakouts. Specifically, caffeine makes people more awake and alert. Yet, this could potentially lead to systematic elevated stress response. Caffeine might not be the direct cause of acne. However, the heightened level of stress response triggers the production of cortisol (a type of stress hormone). Similar to the mentioned causes above, over-production of sebum will happen as a result, worsening the skin condition of those who suffer from acne.
Not to mention, drinking coffee later in the day increases the chance of loss of sleep. Less sleep has been proven to create higher stress levels, which directly affect skin breakouts.
5. Water — Simple yet easily forgotten
Surprise, surprise, it’s water! It is important to drink water for healthy skin. Over-sebum production is the consequence of dehydrated skin to compensate for the lack of moisture. This directly relates to one of the causes of clogged pores, leading to potential breakouts. Furthermore, drinking enough water would help your immune system run smoothly. A strong immune system can fight against infections and, as a result, keep the skin’s microbiome strong and prevent acne.
What are you waiting for? Go grab a cup of water right after reading this! Stay hydrated!
Key Takeaway
You truly are what you eat. Different products consumed by your gut will show different effect. It is not a crime to enjoy sweets or oily dishes once in a while. However, constant consumption of these food could lead to or worsen your acne.
Reference
American Heart Association. (2023, December 18). Carbohydrates. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates
Malekinejad, H., & Rezabakhsh, A. (2015). Hormones in Dairy Foods and Their Impact on Public Health — A Narrative Review Article. Iranian journal of public health, 44(6), 742–758.
Mahmood, S. N., & Bowe, W. P. (2014). Diet and acne update: carbohydrates emerge as the main culprit. Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD, 13(4), 428–435.
