Acne can stem from ten million different sources. From wacky hormones to stress, it seems that everyone has a unique cause for their own individual skincare struggles. One common denominator in many non-hormonal acne causes is diet.
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Can Eating Gluten Cause Acne?
High sugar intake, lactose heavy meals, and secret food allergies all wreak havoc on our bodies, especially our skin. Gluten, found in breads, beers, and other wheat based products, seems to be increasingly commonly found to play a role in many acne strugglers’ discomfort.
Gluten and Acne Connection
Gluten has been found to have a direct effect on the body’s hormonal levels. It is believed that acne may be a direct result of chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and/or blood sugar irregularities.
With a gluten intolerance, the small intestine becomes damaged and inflamed over time as it struggles to digest gluten based products. This inflammation can cause your skin to really freak out due to hormonal changes, leading to increased sebum production and nasty breakouts.
Gluten Intolerance and Acne
It makes sense that gluten would likely cause acne in those with an intolerance. When you eat something, your body must break it down to access the stored nutrients within. If it cannot break down the food for fuel, it can overexert itself or damage itself in its desperate efforts.
The damage can be lasting and cause a plethora of reactions across the body from joint pain to oily skin and zits. Much like how nut allergies can cause hives, gluten allergies can cause rash-like reactions, as well.
Gluten can be found in wheat, barley, rye and often oats (by cross-contamination).
Luckily, if you are not gluten intolerant, you will not find yourself with acne related to gluten. It is believed the issue stems directly from the inability to break down the compound, so if your body is capable of moving things along smoothly then you have no worries.
It is possible to develop a food intolerance at any time, though, so if you suddenly begin suffering from acne you can always have yourself checked out. Other symptoms of gluten intolerance are joint pain, upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and a host of other ailments so if you experience any of these in tandem with acne do not be hesitant to reach out to medical professionals.
If you find yourself needing to go gluten free, check out these options. Traditional wheat pasta can be replaced with corn, rice, or millet noodles. Rice flour makes a stellar replacement for regular baking flour, as well. Anything from cereal to breading for fried foods can be made gluten free with little effort.
Most supermarkets even have entire gluten free sections to help accommodate those with dietary restrictions. You have options and can definitely carry on comfortably chowing down and maybe even clear up your skin in the meantime!
But keep in mind that it’s always better to completely remove those foods from your diet than replacing them with gluten free options.