If You Have Acne or Rosacea, What You Eat Could Make It Better—or Worse, According to a New Study

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We all want flawless, radiant skin but certain conditions, like acne orrosacea, can make this challenging. But according to new research, getting more glowing skin might not be as difficult as we once thought.

A newly released study published on October 17 inNutrientssuggests that what we eat can greatly impact our skin, particularly for those with inflammatory skin conditions like acne and rosacea. For the study, researchers split male and female participants, ages 12 and up, into four groups: those with acne, those with rosacea and control groups for each of these groups.

What the Skin Health Study Found

Several assessments were performed, including on dietary patterns and self-reported assessments of which foods participants felt were triggers for worsening their conditions. Bloodwork was also performed to check certain markers, including triglycerides, hemoglobin A1C, white blood cells, vitamin or mineral deficiencies and hormones.

How to Eat for Skin Health

While some foods tend to trigger acne and rosacea, there are also foods that were found to be helpful for these skin conditions. Researchers stated that they can be summed up in three words: the Mediterranean diet.

This way of eating has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, calming the processes in the body that can ignite inflammation.Chronic inflammationhas been shown to be a contributing factor in chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, arthritis and inflammatory skin diseases like acne and rosacea.

Thankfully, eating the foods that make upthe Mediterranean diethave been linked with reduced inflammation, reducing the risk of these diseases and conditions. They’ve even been shown tobenefit your brain, too.

Part of the reason the Mediterranean diet is anti-inflammatory is that it’s loaded with foods that are high inantioxidantsandomega-3s. Both of these compounds have been shown to help reduce chronic disease risk.

The Bottom Line

Ready to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods into your eating pattern but aren’t sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! Whether it’s ourEasy Anti-Inflammatory Dinners in 4 Steps or Lessor ourEasy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Beginners,we’ve got meal plans and recipes for everyone, no matter where you are on your healthy-eating journey towards clearer skin.

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