Hey fuzzy! I am not sure if milk can aggravate acne but i did notice whenever i eat butter or cheese or even a tiny bit of cream, (the old friends come back and usually on the cheek). I usually drink milk every night before going to sleep but i havnt noticed milk flaring my acne. I know milk contains lactose, which is a sugar and just like other sugars, it elevates the insuling levels. I also want to know if milk is considered as high glycemic food?
Yes, milk can aggravate acne in many people. I was first surprised by this, but there are too many people around who say it breaks them out, so I can't dismiss it anymore.
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And I shall be clothed again with my SKIN, and in my flesh I shall see God." [Job 19:25]
Some people who break out from milk products actually have a slight milk allergy. Different foods may or may not affect different people. I'm fortunate in that food has never affected my acne. it all depends on the individual person.
Milk is very high on the insulin index, despite the fact that the lactose/galactose combo of sugars is low glycemic. It still spikes your insulin like no tomorrow. This is probably why people aggravate acne when on it. Insulin being the primary reason why sugar (candy or whatever) aggravates acne.
Milk is very high on the insulin index? I beleive that skim milk has a GI of 32 for a serving of 250g (over 8oz.). That is, it has a glycemic load of only 4. [url="http://www.centerfornaturopathic.com/Glycemic%20index.htm#DAIRY%20PRODUCTS%20 AND%20ALTERNATIVES"]Here[/url] is ia reference.
So, does it really spike the insulin? 32 for 1 serving is very low compared to 90+ for 1 serving of rice, or 40+ for just about any cereal.
Milk does aggrivate acne, but you are all thinking it does for the wrong reasons.
The actual reason is most likely because cows are made to produce enough milk to meet our needs using IGF growth hormone, this along with hormones in a pregnant cow exist in the milk they produce and in the milk we consume. The hormones worsen acne by causing increased sebum production, or buy increasing skin proliferation, in other words increasing the chance pores will get blocked. I further hypothesis that organic milk, that has not been produced with the aid of growth hormones would be as good as drinking no milk.
A lactose allegy could also be to blame because in this case the small intestine is lined and nutrient absorption is componsated, but hormones are far more likely to be resonsible in most cases.
I cut out milk with great results.
-be sure to eat more fruit and vegetables, this stops you excreting so much calcium, you don't want to trade acne for osteoperosis later on in life.
[This message has been edited by T-zone (edited 08-26-2003).]
Milk 
