Food Allergies and Acne

Published:January 7th, 2012

According to a number of research studies nowadays acne may be traced to certain foods some people are allergic to. Based on these researches, a multitude of acne cases, including skin blemishes, are due to food allergies. Proponents of such studies say food allergies are the number one culprit behind many cases of acne, and the more severe the acne according to them, the more likely food allergies are involved. They say one’s diet may be directly linked to one’s acne. However, there is another school of thought that believes food allergies do not cause acne. According to them food allergies do have an impact on acne either by triggering an immune system response or by intensifying an existing condition, but not really cause it.

Proponents of the first view, espouse the idea that consuming food/s to which the body is/are allergic results to a continuous toxic reaction. These  unhealthy reactions cause the immune system to reject and fight these “food/s” quite akin to the body’s responses to invading organisms. Inflammation in the skin is a common outward, noticeable manifestation of such reactions as the system tries to eliminate the toxin. Allergies increase the levels of pro inflammatory hormones thereby activating the immune system all the time.

Recognizing one’s own food allergy can be problematic at times because of the usual delayed nature of food allergies. Symptoms may not be visible for hours or even days after the food is consumed and is well integrated into the system. Compounding the problem is the fact that acne breakouts do not erupt and fade quickly enough to be linked with certain foods eaten. Another problem is that some foods are staple in the diet, thus, associating symptoms with one’s eating habits is likely next to impossible. Understanding the connection between food allergies and acne lies in the fact that not just a single food can cause an eruption, instead it may be linked to multiple food items.

Experts say that food allergies may be genetically predetermined. They argue that human body is only recently introduced to a wide variety of foods, and so the immune system has not adjusted completely yet, and is without the ability to recognize every food as “friendly”. Gluten, a substance contained in foods such as barley, rye, oats and wheat, is often associated with most allergic reactions leading to acne formation. Next to gluten, are dairy and lectin, two other products that are known to possibly cause acne break out. Dairy products include milk, cheese, butter and yogurt while lectin is present in some grains, starches, peppers, legumes, and tomatoes.

Generally, to determine which foods you are allergic to is done by avoiding the common food allergens, doing a pulse test, and/or performing a food allergy test. You may go by the trial and error method, in which you gradually remove certain food items in your typical diet to see whether there is an improvement in your condition. The common food allergens include milk and dairy products, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sea foods, shellfishes, soy, and wheat. As of now, the only sure method to know if a person has food allergy is to have his or her blood tested for antibodies to a variety of foods. The Elisa Food Allergy Panel, a test which gauges an individual’s response to an estimate of 100 different foods, accomplishes this.

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