Understanding the connection between acne and milk

Understanding the connection between acne and milk

The connection between acne and milk has long been a controversial topic; However, research studies have shown that milk causes acne. The studies have also shown that skim milk causes more breakouts than whole milk. The main factors that cause acne are the hormones contained in milk.

Hormones of interest

Milk contains many hormones; However, two have been shown to provoke acne. These hormones include:

DHT precursors: then the main precursors of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are 5a-androstanedione and 5a-pregnanedione. DHT stimulates the sebaceous glands and creates oilier skin that is prone to pore clogging. When most of your skin pores are clogged, the skin cannot breathe properly, leading to acne.

IGF-1: Studies have shown that milk contains a lot of the IGF-1 hormone, which is important for calves, but not for you. IGF-1 is a growth hormone that makes calves grow big and strong. Studies have shown that the more milk you consume, the more acne you develop.

How to get rid of acne

To get rid of milk-induced acne, you need to eliminate dairy products from your diet. These products include: ice cream, cheese, kefir and yogurt.

Because it's difficult to wake up one day and find that you've stopped taking dairy products, it's recommended to start slowly. For example, you should first reduce the amount of milk in your breakfast. Once you are successful, you should remove the product in your lunch and so on.

If you are really addicted to milk and therefore cannot stop, then you should not worry as there are many alternatives that you can choose. These alternatives include: organic full-fat coconut, unsweetened coconut cream, and organic unsweetened coconut milk.

If you have the skills and time, consider making your own milk from nuts. The best nuts are: Brazil nuts and hazelnuts.

Although the alternatives are great, you should be careful as some of them contain high levels of sugar and vegetable oils that can worsen your acne. To be on the safe side, you should consult your nutritionist before taking any alternatives.

Understanding hormone-free milk

If you are interested, you must have come across “hormone-free milk”. It's good to note that this isn't milk that doesn't contain hormones - it's milk without synthetic hormones. This means that the milk was obtained from dairy cows that were not given synthetic hormones.

Many people think that “hormone-free milk” does not have problematic hormones, but that is not true. This milk contains IGF-1 hormones and other hormones and therefore is not good for your skin.

Conclusion

This is the connection between acne and milk. There are some people who believe that goat and sheep milk is better than cow's milk. That's wrong. Although goat and sheep milk contains A2 proteins, which are easier to digest than A1 proteins in cow's milk, it still contains IGF-1 and other hormones that cause acne.

Inspired by Richa Bansal