Does Eating Durian Worsen Acne?

11 Jul Does Eating Durian Worsen Acne?

What Foods Should I Eat To Improve My Acne?

Amongst our Singaporean friends, it’s common knowledge that DURIANS ARE SUPER HEATY and taking them will put you at a high risk of getting an acne breakout.

I’m Chinese, and Singaporean.

In my culture, it’s especially important that we eat or avoid certain foods when we’re sick, heaty, cool, etc…  Sometimes it’s baffling for the caucasians, but strangely, it does work.  Take Durian for example… I’m sure there’s no clinical study proving or disproving for that matter whether we durians worsen acne… (to be honest, I haven’t done a Medline search) but I’m like 99% sure there isn’t one.

So, why does this happen?  Is the evidence purely anecdotal?  I’ll tell you at the end of the article, but first, let’s look at some foods that can improve or worsen acne.

Dairy Products

I got this interesting excerpt from WebMD (full article here)

In an article he wrote for a medical journal in 2008, F. William Danby, MD, a skin expert who promotes the possible dairy-acne connection, explained how the two may be related. Milk contains components related to the hormone testosterone that may stimulate oil glands in the skin, setting the stage for acne.

Yes, in my personal experience treating acne over the last 15 years, taking a diet rich in dairy does have a correlation with Acne breakouts.  So why not try avoiding some of these for a while and see if your acne improves?  Foods which are rich in milk and dairy products include milk, cream, cheeses, ice cream, yoghurt, Fettucine Carbonara and Creme brulee (sadly 2 of my favourite dishes).

Can I Eat Chocolate?

It’s a new paradigm in acne treatment that high glycemic index foods can worsen acne.  What does that mean actually?  A 2007 study in 43 teenage boys and young men found that eating foods that push up your blood sugar quickly worsened their acne, while those boys who ate foods which did not push up the sugar quickly had more improvement in their acne.

The key to this is a hormone in our body called Insulin.  Foods rich in simple sugars and simple carbohydrates are considered high glycemic foods.  Taking these foods cause a boost of the hormone insulin in the bloodstream, and this in turn may increase the oiliness of the skin and trigger pimples.

Chocolate per se is not one of them, but the sugar in chocolate is the culprit.  Add to the list foods like rice, starch, noodles, potatoes, ice cream (double whammy!) and you will see why it’s really difficult for Singaporeans to avoid these foods.

So if you’re a chocoholic, what should you do?  Either eat in moderation, or choose dark chocolate, which has a lower sugar content.  (the darker the better!)

However, the jury is still out, as there is still some debate about whether insulin really causes acne, but I’ve had some experiences with my patients that controlling these foods actually improved their acne.

Why Durians Worsen Acne

And now, we tackle the King of Fruits, in the middle of DURIAN SEASON.  Why does durian cause acne breakouts!??!?!

You may have guessed it, durian is ULTRA HIGH in simple carbohydrates and sugars.  THAT’S WHY IT IS SO SWEET!  And that’s why it is a super high glycemic index food!  Feasting on durian is a huge NO-NO for patients with diabetics (the other condition where patients need to take low-glycemic index foods) and for patients with acne prone skin, I would strongly advise you to EAT IN MODERATION and choose your durian wisely (only Mao shan wang and D24 to get the most mileage from your limited durian quota!).

BORING PART

So what should I eat to improve my acne?  Focus on foods that have low glycemic index like vegetables, especially those with bright red, yellow or orange colours because they are rich in antioxidants which help your acne prone skin heal and reduce inflammation.  Eat frequent, small meals every day, maybe 2-3 hours apart instead of taking a single big meal to keep your blood sugar stable, and finally eat more fish, which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, that help reduce inflammation.

Meats are OK in moderation and cut down on rice/noodles and breads.

I hope I haven’t dampened your spirits (and appetite), but if these tips help you, please feedback to this page so that others can benefit from your experiences.

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