Sugar and Acne the Never Ending Saga

I thought the love affair and relationship between sugar and acne had ended years ago. But according to the New York Times, the lovers are back for round two, and this time it's not so sweet. For years scientists had been trying to find the link between acne breakouts and sugar intake, though nothing definitive was proven. The idea was thrown out the window and sugar love teenagers were back to their old habits of gorging on candy. But now the relationship and link is back in the limelight. Doctors are saying that sugar and acne are linked. The New York Times article says, "In recent years, studies have shown that what matters may not be sugar itself but a food's glycemic index, or the speed and extent to which it raises blood glucose levels. Foods that have a high glycemic index - and as a result raise glucose levels rapidly - cause the body to release a flood of insulin and other hormones, which some scientists suspect can stimulate oil production and inflame the skin." The study examined different sets of people on high-glycemic foods and people on low-glycemic foods. Those with a high intake eating things like pasta, sugary cereals and white bread as opposed to high protein diets like fish and whole grain breads had an influx of acne and skin lesions. Other studies have also found similar links between high glycemic foods and acne.