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Glycemic index / Glycemic load

Summary

At this time, we do not know if low-glycemic diets reduce acne symptoms based on the

glycemic load of the foods eaten, or simply based on the accompanying weight loss of

such diets.

What does the glycemic indexrefer to? Theglycemic indexcompares different foods,

giving them a numerical ranking, based on how much they spike blood glucose levels.

What does glycemic loadmean? The glycemic load takes the glycemic index one step

further by taking into account how much of a certain food is eaten and then calculatingthe effect that portion size of food will have on blood glucose.

Hormones

Eating lots of high glycemic foods (i.e. sugar, white bread, white potatoes, white rice)

which are prevalent in modern diets cause people to live with chronically elevated insulin

levels. These chronically elevated insulin levels may lead to problems with:

IGF-1:Increased blood insulin levels lead to increases in insulin-like growth factor (IGF-

1), a hormone in our bodies which promotes increased cell growth. Scientists

hypothesize that this could lead to an overgrowth of cells inside pores and/or an increase

in skin oil production, which could cause pores to become clogged, leading to acne.2-

7Scientists also hypotesize that high IGF-1 levels could lead to increased skin oil sebum

production which may lead to breakouts.

IGFBP-3:Chronically elevated insulin levels lower the amount of insulin-like growth

factor binding-protein 3 (IGFBP-3) in the blood. IGFBP-3 regulates IGF-1 and keeps it in

check by preventing IGF-1 from binding to its cellular receptor. So, lower amounts of

IGFBP-3 means even higher IGF-1 levels. As we have discussed, scientists postulate

that increased IGF-1 may lead to overgrowth of cells inside pores.2-4A second way that

low levels of IGFBP-3 may potentially affect acne is through lowering the effectiveness of

the natural retinoids in the skin. These retinoids prevent cell overgrowth. When IGFBP-3

is low, these retinoids can't do the work they are made to do.8-14

Androgens:Insulin acts as a "master" hormone. Increased insulin levels raise androgen

(male hormone) levels. Increased androgen levels are well known for their effect on

stimulating sebum production, which can lead to more severe acne symptoms.12-13

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmhttp://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmhttp://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htmhttp://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

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mTORC1 and Fox01 proteins:Could our Western, high glycemic diet be suppressing

and/or over-activating cell proteins which in turn unbalance hormones and increase skin

oil production, leading to acne? Scientists are discussing it.6,17-18

Studies

Australian researchers have produced two small studies attempting to measure glycemic

load and acne. In the studies, subjects who ate low-glycemic diets had less acne at the

end of 12 weeks compared with the control group.1,19However, the studies have major

design limitations, the most serious being that the researchers could not separate out the

effects ofweight loss.The low-glycemic groups lost weight in all 3 studies. It is well known

that lowered calories can decrease skin oil. To their credit, the authors note, the role

of diet in sebum composition is yet to be fully clarified and further studies are required to

isolate the underlying mechanistic factors."1A recent study of 80 young people (13-25

years old) in Chili again seems to show people with acne ingesting more sugary juices,

sodas, milk, bread, and rice than people without whose diets were based more on fruits

and vegetables.20Another recent study in Malaysia again corroborates a possible

connection between high glycemic load diets and the incidence and severity of acne.21

Sumber Acne.org

http://www.acne.org/diet-and-acne.html#calorichttp://www.acne.org/diet-and-acne.html#calorichttp://www.acne.org/diet-and-acne.html#calorichttp://www.acne.org/diet-and-acne.html#caloric