The numerous oil-producing glands found in skin are most plentiful in the face, back, and chest, As many as five thousand can be found in each square inch of skin in these areas. Acne results when the volume and quality of sebum secreted by these glands becomes abnormal.
A diet too high in saturated animal fat underlies most cases of acne. Foods such as hamburgers. fried chicken, pizza, eggs, bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches are major contributors to problem skim Other sticky fats. such as those produced by milk, simple sugars. chocolate. nuts and nut butters. and other oily items also contribute when consumed excessively, Acne is a visible symptom of imbalance in the body. It represents the discharge of unnecessary and potentially toxic substances.
Because acne takes time to devel- op. short-term studies that have attempted to show a connection between certain foods and outbreaks of acne were inconclusive. In these studies. subjects were given a large quantity ofa particular food that had been suspected of causing acne (such as chocolate or peanuts) for several days.
Since no changes in the subjects’ skin condition were apparent in that brief period. the researchers mistakenly con• eluded that there was no relationship between diet and acne. However, acne does not appear overnight. It takes time to develop. Moreover. acne usually develops as the result of a person’s overall dietary pattern rather than as a reaction to one specific food. The cells in the sebaceous glands act as tiny processing plants for nutrients pro- vided by the bloodstream.
They take fatty acids and other substances in the blood. which originally come from the diet, and resynthesize them in the form or the fatty secretion known as sebum.
That is why the fatty acids in food do not perfectly match those in sebum. leading some researchers to conclude that there is no relationship between fats in the diet and those secreted by the skin.
However, the sebaceous glands alter these fatty acids, and the quality of blood determines both the quality and amount of sebum they produce- Fatty. oily, and sticky foods create a sticky. fat-filled bloodstream.
They promote a clumping or sticking together of red blood cells, causing a reduction in their capacity to bind and transport oxygen to the trillions of cells throughout the body, including the cells of the skin. Fats. especially hard saturated fats. have a similar effect on the sebum produced in the glands. as do the fatty acids produced by excessive consumption of refined sugar.
They influence the sebaceous glands to secrete a thicker, stickier quality sebum that does not flow smoothly through the hair follicles or sebaceous ducts, Just as they slow the transit time of skin cells. these fats also slow the transit time of sebum. The result is often blockage or stagnation in the follicle or duct.
