Articles For decades scientists have searched for the causes of acne. Now, for the first time, a dramatic picture is emerging showing that milk is a major cause of acne. An article by Sanjida O'Connell (How a Pinta Causes Pimples, The Independent, May 8th, 2007, USA) shows graphically how milk causes acne.

Julianne, an American subject mentioned in O'Connell's article, never suffered from spots as a teenager, but by the time she was 28 she had terrible cystic acne along her jawline and across her neck. She had travelled to Europe to learn to learn about cooking.

She decided to open a deli as well as a restaurant back in the States, so before she returned home she toured Europe, sampling every cheese she could find. As she recounted her story to the dermatologist Bill Danby, something clicked: "Oh my God, it's the cheese," she said. For six months, she cut out all dairy products. During that time she became 85 per cent free of acne, and her skin has continued to improve.

As Danby says: "The ability to develop acne is partly genetic and partly the result of hormone exposure [e.g. hormones from dairy milk]. I tell my female patients that genetics are the key to the fact that Paris Hilton has lots of money and no zits and my patients have lots of zits and no money."

In teenagers acne peaks at between 16 and 18, although it can affect anyone at any age. Up to 98 per cent of people in Western countries are affected. A clear link between acne and dairy milk has been noted by researchers because acne is much higher in parts of the world that consume more milk. Acne makes the skin sore and uncomfortable, and is socially excruciating - $5 billion is spent worldwide each year treating it.

This is how milk causes acne: hormones in dairy milk stimulate the glands of hair follicles, making them secrete more sebum than they normally would. As a consequence, hair follicles stick together and form a plug in the pore of the skin - the first visible sign of acne. As the plug 'pinches' the sebum canal it prevents the free-flow of sebum to the skin. The result is acne.

As with any pregnant mammal, cow's milk is full of hormones. These hormones help the calf grow quickly. Other hormones are produced by the placenta to help the cow's pregnancy. One of the main hormones found in milk is IGF-1. This is a growth hormone which is also produced by all humans as they grow. IGF-1 peaks at age 15 in girls and 18 in boys, coinciding with peak acne levels.

It is thought that IGF-1 works with testosterone and DHT to cause acne. It is heavily present in all types of dairy milk: nonorganic, organic, raw or pasteurized. By consuming any kind of cow's milk, this greatly increases the amount of IGF-1, and this in turn causes acne.

There is no shortage of evidence showing that dairy milk is one of the biggest causes of acne. Dr Walter Willett and his colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston studied more than 47,000 women who are part of a research project called the Nurses Health Study II.

In the study, the 47,000 women were asked to fill in a questionnaire that related to their diet as teenagers. They had to say whether they had ever been diagnosed with severe acne. The results of the study found no links between food such as French fries, chocolate and acne. But a significant link was found between women who had drunk a lot of milk in their teens and those that had severe acne.

This is confirmed by other research:

* IGF-1 [in dairy milk] contributes to the increase in sebum production during puberty. (Endocrinology, 1999 Sep, 140:9).

* About 80% of [dairy] cows are throwing off hormones continuously [milk is] implicated as a factor in the development of acne teenage acne patients improved as soon as milk drinking stopped. (Frank Oski, M.D., Don't Drink Your Milk, Teach Services, Inc).

* About 80% of cows that are giving milk are pregnant and are throwing off hormones continuouslyDr. Jerome has found that acne improved as soon as the teenagers stopped drinking milk. (George J. Georgiou, Ph.D., Clinical Nutritionist, Milk - A Recipe for Disease, Nov. 2002, worldwidehealthcenter.net).

To minimize the risk of acne (or get rid of it), you simply have to avoid dairy milk. Doing this is easy if you replace dairy with non-dairy milk. Nowadays you can buy soy and rice milk in many supermarkets. But better still, consider making your own milk at home. When made correctly home made milk is super-nutritious and truly delicious, and of course, it does not cause acne.

About the Author:
To get more information about making non-dairy milk go to Make Your Own Milk. Unique recipes show how to make delicious and super-nutritious milk in just a matter of minutes. No special milk-making machine required. Find out more.

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