Dairy
Dairy refers to milk and products made from milk from an animal. Sometimes "dairy" is also used to include eggs.
Dairy is most often used for
Last Updated:September 28, 2022
Growth factors can cause acne, either androgens or anything acting on the insulin receptor (including IGF-1) that enhance androgen signaling. Dairy is currently weakly suspected to contribute via the above, but not enough evidence exists to support a strong relationship.
Acne, or as it is technically called Acne Vulgaris, has historically been linked to dairy (and is the most commonly reported dietary association with acne[1]).
Acne can be furthered and made worse by excessive insulin secretion[2] and appears to also be exacerbated by IGF-1[3] and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). In the case of IGF-1, there are repeated correlations between those with acne and higher serum IGF-1 concentrations.[4][5]
These systemic factors appear to be induced following dairy consumption with insulin, IGF-1,[6] and GIP (which acts to further induce insulin[7]) being increased to levels greater than that of an equicaloric portion of meat (as a comparative protein source).
When looking at serum anabolic factors, dairy protein appears to induce some of these factors to a greater degree than other protein sources
Insulin and IGF-1 both act upon the insulin receptor, the typical signalling pathway includes signalling via PI3K to mTOR/Akt which then induces nuclear ejection of FOX01.[8]
This nuclear ejection of FOX01 tends to be seen as anabolic, as the presence of FOX01 in the nucleus per se is anti-anabolic and ejection hinders its actions.[9][10][11] By facilitating anabolic signalling FOX01 ejection can augment androgen-dependent or insulin-receptor (mTOR dependent) anabolism, both the androgen pathway[12] and the mTOR/Akt pathway (downstream of the insulin receptor)[13] increase sebaceous lipogenesis (production of lipids in sebocytes, these cells being skin cells that have a high likelihood of acne production) and activation of the mTOR/Akt pathway can augment androgen signalling.[14]
Anything that activates mTOR/Akt can plausibly increase the efficacy of androgen signalling. Activation of the insulin receptor reliably activates mTOR/Akt (and IGF-1 also acts on this receptor) and is thought to be the main player as there are correlations between diet, insulin and IGF-1 (known to reflect the diet), and acne in humans
Interventions
A few studies have claimed that reducing total insulinogenic secretions of the diet (limiting grains and dairy) would be beneficial in acne control[15][16] or at least that the link between dairy and acne requires more investigation.[17][18]
When looking at surveys, there does appear to be an increased risk of acne associated with dairy products although the relative risk ratios (ranging from 1.12[19]-1.44 depending on dairy product or 1.10-1.19[20]) appears to be weak.
There is a plausible link between dairy consumption and acne but correlational research does not fully support this link; studies tend to be conducted in adolescents (rather than adults) and the results are not too in favor of a strong link; perhaps weak at best
There appears to be a more reliable link between IGF-1 per se than dairy products per se, and although the latter may spike the former current (limited) research does not support a strong relation between dairy and acne
Dairy By-products?
As both whey protein and casein protein are dairy byproducts, and thus can spike insulin and GIP levels, they are theoretically able to also induce acne.
- ^ROBINSON HMThe acne problemSouth Med J.(1949 Dec)
- ^Melnik BCEvidence for acne-promoting effects of milk and other insulinotropic dairy productsNestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program.(2011)
- ^Deplewski D, Rosenfield RLGrowth hormone and insulin-like growth factors have different effects on sebaceous cell growth and differentiationEndocrinology.(1999 Sep)
- ^Aizawa H, Niimura MElevated serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels in women with postadolescent acneJ Dermatol.(1995 Apr)
- ^Cappel M, Mauger D, Thiboutot DCorrelation between serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and dihydrotestosterone and acne lesion counts in adult womenArch Dermatol.(2005 Mar)
- ^Hoppe C, Mølgaard C, Juul A, Michaelsen KFHigh intakes of skimmed milk, but not meat, increase serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in eight-year-old boysEur J Clin Nutr.(2004 Sep)
- ^Salehi A, Gunnerud U, Muhammed SJ, Ostman E, Holst JJ, Björck I, Rorsman PThe insulinogenic effect of whey protein is partially mediated by a direct effect of amino acids and GIP on β-cellsNutr Metab (Lond).(2012 May 30)
- ^Melnik BCFoxO1 - the key for the pathogenesis and therapy of acneJ Dtsch Dermatol Ges.(2010 Feb)
- ^Kim SJ, Winter K, Nian C, Tsuneoka M, Koda Y, McIntosh CHGlucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) stimulation of pancreatic beta-cell survival is dependent upon phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB) signalling, inactivation of the forkhead transcription factor Foxo1, and down-regulation of bax expressionJ Biol Chem.(2005 Jun 10)
- ^Melnik BCIs nuclear deficiency of FoxO1 due to increased growth factor/PI3K/Akt-signalling in acne vulgaris reversed by isotretinoin treatmentBr J Dermatol.(2010 Jun)
- ^Melnik BCThe role of transcription factor FoxO1 in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris and the mode of isotretinoin actionG Ital Dermatol Venereol.(2010 Oct)
- ^Makrantonaki E, Zouboulis CCTestosterone metabolism to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone and synthesis of sebaceous lipids is regulated by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ligand linoleic acid in human sebocytesBr J Dermatol.(2007 Mar)
- ^Smith TM, Gilliland K, Clawson GA, Thiboutot DIGF-1 induces SREBP-1 expression and lipogenesis in SEB-1 sebocytes via activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathwayJ Invest Dermatol.(2008 May)
- ^Fan W, Yanase T, Morinaga H, Okabe T, Nomura M, Daitoku H, Fukamizu A, Kato S, Takayanagi R, Nawata HInsulin-like growth factor 1/insulin signaling activates androgen signaling through direct interactions of Foxo1 with androgen receptorJ Biol Chem.(2007 Mar 9)
- ^Melnik B{Acne vulgaris. Role of diet}Hautarzt.(2010 Feb)
- ^Melnik BC, Schmitz GRole of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, hyperglycaemic food and milk consumption in the pathogenesis of acne vulgarisExp Dermatol.(2009 Oct)
- ^Bhate K, Williams HCEpidemiology of acne vulgarisBr J Dermatol.(2012 Dec 4)
- ^Danby FWAcne and milk, the diet myth, and beyondJ Am Acad Dermatol.(2005 Feb)
- ^Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Danby FW, Frazier AL, Willett WC, Holmes MDHigh school dietary dairy intake and teenage acneJ Am Acad Dermatol.(2005 Feb)
- ^Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS, Danby FW, Rockett HH, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Holmes MDMilk consumption and acne in teenaged boysJ Am Acad Dermatol.(2008 May)