Acne and Your Diet
Recently, I’ve been reading quite a bit about the relationship between your diet and your skin. The stance of the medical community has been pretty clear that acne is not caused by anything in your diet. However, with the emergence of vitamin B5 research and the Coenzyme-A theory, things may not be and cut-and-dry as they seem. I’ve stated before that, while your diet may not cause acne, it can certainly effect the intensity of acne that you experience.
An important aspect of the relationship between acne and your diet is something that directly relates to vitamin B5, that is, your body’s supply of Coenzyme-A.
Why is it that so many people experience breakouts when they eat certain foods? Acne is generally considered to be caused by hormonal shifts, but if we look a bit closer, but hormonal shifts and junk food have something very similar in common: they both demand high amounts of Coenzyme-A. Just as a surge in your hormones will require a large supply of Co-A in order to produce more of those sex hormones (thus sapping your body of the Co-A needed to metabolize skin oil), fatty and sugary foods also require a large amount of Co-A in order for your body to break them down.
When you eat foods high in sugar and saturated fat, you drain your body’s supply of B5, as it is rapidly used to produce the large amount of Co-A needed for the metabolism of these foods. Again, if you are not taking supplements (and sometimes even if you are), you may not be left with an ample enough supply of Co-A to efficiently metabolize the sebum in your skin — resulting in acne. In essence, a poor diet can have the same effect on your skin as hormonal shifts, and may in fact be a real cause of acne, and not just a distant contributor.
Vitamin B5 is the first step to dealing with this problem, as you need to supply your body with enough Co-A to handle these situations with room to spare. However, even if you are taking B5, it’s still a good idea to take a good look at your diet. Are you eating fast food on a daily basis? Do you aim for a balance, or throw whatever looks good into the microwave? Clear skin is a battle, and if you’re serious about it, you need to start eating a healthy diet today. That doesn’t mean cutting all your favorite foods out of the loop, but it does mean moderation, and making a concerted effort to more raw foods and less pre-packaged ones.
