This endemic skin disease known as acne is commonly known to be a normal effect of puberty. But recent German research questions this popular knowledge, arguing that adolescence cannot possibly be the major factor that generates acne.
Popular belief – puberty = acne
The cause of this skin disease has been discussed a lot. Several factors can be related to the appearance of acne:
- The increased level of the hormones experienced by teenagers in puberty
- Hormonal changes caused by birth control pills or pregnancy
- A family history of acne
- Certain medicines, containing androgen hormones
- Oil from skin products, such as moisturizers or make-up
Scrubbing the skin, squeezing or picking spots and stress can worsen this problem.
Acne – the hint for higher cancer risk
Acne is nowadays considered to be a specific disease for Western civilization. German researchers pointed out that acne has little to do with puberty, but it may represent a visible indicator that junk food, egg proteins and meat harm us. How so? The process is simple: these unhealthy foods work to raise the activity of the TOR enzyme, which contributes not only to obesity, but also to acne. The standard American diet is an example of how NOT to live your life if you do not want to lead TOR into chronic diseases.
Keeping a diet and eating clean in order to suppress TOR,can be beneficial not only in the fight with acne. You can also put a stepping stone for the prevention of many other diseases, such as obesity, Alzheimer’s or even cancer.
Most of this research is new. However, there is more than enough proof to support the allegations that milk and dairy products work as enhancers of the unwanted acne. The issue is not with milk itself, because milk is generally supposed to stimulate TOR. The issue is that we drink milk from the wrong species. Cow’s milk, when consumed by humans can over-stimulate this enzyme.
Having presented these, it is disheartening to realize that more than 85% of teens in Western countries have acne. It signifies that a wide majority of the population is living with an over activity of the TOR enzyme. This can cause the development of more serious diseases. It has been pointed out that a history of acne can be related to breast cancer risk for women and prostate cancer for men.
What is to be done?
Dermatologists can help by counseling teenagers and providing specialized diets, especially regarding dietary products. A thorough dietary strategy for fighting acne can be achieved by consuming vegetables and fruit, in a great amount. Needless to say, the cutback on animal-derived food is a must for getting the best results.
Acne, the epidemic skin disease of our times, is most likely to be a sign of high risk of cancer, not a psychological symptom of puberty. So be aware and reduce as much possible the factors presented above.