Have Low GI Diets to Minimize Acne

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Are you suffering from acne? You may not know it, but a way to minimize your acne is by having a low glycemic index (GI) diet. But before we proceed, let’s first discuss what GI is all about.

What is Glycemic Index?

Glycemic Index is responsible for the speed and extent to which carbohydrates raise the amount of your blood sugar levels after eating. Therefore, if the food has a greater GI value, it means that it can rapidly increase your blood sugar levels as compared to food with lesser GI value. So basically, it determines how fast and how much the blood glucose level will rise.

The Research Study

Recently, a research was done to prove the relationship between acne and low GI diet. The experimental research included 43 male participants who were suffering from acne. The participants were divided into two groups; one group was given low GI diet and the other one, a control group, was without the said treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment with low-glycemic-load diet, the participants from the first group showed an improved lesion counts, making it lesser as compared to the control group. Also, the experiment resulted in weight loss and better insulin sensitivity in group one participants.

Having said that, this research shows that having low GI diets can be very beneficial to anyone’s health since it helps delay digestion and absorption, thus producing a gradual increase of blood sugar levels and insulin. Also, the study shows that low GI diet shows a promising improvement on both blood glucose and lipid levels. Once the blood glucose and lipid levels are regulated, the oil or sebum production can be lowered. And aside from that, the hormones which can also contribute to acne condition will also be decreased.

Promoting Nutrition-Related Lifestyle Changes

As concluded by the researchers, diets can play a big role in pathogenesis of acne. Although more research might still be needed, it is still better to stick to low GI diet because of the benefits it brings. As we all know, acne can be aggravated if too much oil production is happening in the body, and the best way to avoid it is to hinder excessive oil production by stabilizing blood sugar level.

When purchasing a food item, it is important to keep in mind the appropriate GI value of that food. You can take note of the product’s GI value by looking at the nutritional label. If it has a GI value of 55 or less, it is considered as low GI. GI value of 56 to 69 is considered medium GI, while 70 or more is known to be high GI.

If you are now planning to make some diet changes, you can actually replace your usual food with something more nutritious. For example, if you are eating white bread for breakfast, it would be better to replace it with whole wheat bread since it has lower GI value. Or if you eat cornflakes cereal in the morning you can just eat All-bran or oat bran instead.

Some of the other food products that are considered to have low GI are porridge, soya milk, sweetened yoghurt, lentils, carrots, broccoli, onions, cherries, coconut, apples, oranges, prunes, peanuts, corn chips, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and many more.

Complying with low GI diet can really help minimize your acne lesions. By simply eating a healthier meal, you can already achieve a healthier and more radiant skin.