Acne/RosaceaDiet-Nutrition

Milk and acne risk in teenage boys

There was an association between higher intake of skim milk and more pimples in this study.

First, the details.

  • 4273 teenage boys who reported dietary intake on food questionnaires participated.
  • Results were adjusted for age, height, and energy intake.

And, the results.

  • More severe acne was observed in the highest vs lowest intake of total milk, whole/2% milk, low-fat (1%) milk, and skim milk.
    • Greater than 2 servings/day vs less than 1 serving/week

The bottom line?
Yes, there is an association between drinking more milk and more severe acne.

Interestingly, the results suggest that even skim milk contains hormonal substance, or factors that affect hormones sufficiently to have biological effects in teen-aged boys.

An earlier study of US girls (9 to 15 years of age) revealed that greater consumption of milk was associated with the severity of acne.

11/4/08 21:03 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.