Research shows eating too much carbohydrate raises the risk of acne. Acne is a modern disease. It was simply not present among populations of the world who followed a diet that excluded sugar, grains and dairy products. In stark contrast, among today’s teenagers acne is accepted as normal and actually expected by many people. Although a lot of people consider acne to be a trivial health condition, it can cause great harm through depression and loss of self esteem. Your skin is the first thing everyone notices about you and people can make harsh judgements based on it. High glycemic load diets that contain bread, pasta, rice, sugar and foods that contain flour are all common acne triggers. This is because these foods are rapidly digested into sugar in your body and consequently result in a rapid rise in blood sugar. The rise in blood sugar triggers your body to produce insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). These hormones cause your body to produce more male hormones, which encourage pores in the skin to secrete large quantities of sebum. Sebum is a greasy substance that acne promoting bacteria love. IGF-1 also promotes skin cells called keratinocytes to multiply; further encouraging acne. Sugar and high carbohydrate foods also promote enlargement of the sebaceous glands, predisposing a person to suffer with blackheads on their face. We know that overproducing insulin and IGF-1 can promote weight gain and raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, but many people are not aware of the relationship between these hormones and acne. A low glycemic load diet that focuses on vegetables, protein, healthy fats, nuts and seeds is a safe and effective way to reduce the severity and intensity of acne. For those who find changing their dietary pattern difficult there are a number of supplements to make the change far easier - Glycemic Balance, Berberine, and Metabocel all reduce carbohydrate cravings or reduce absorption of fat from the foods eaten. Dr Cabot's 15 Day Cleanse incorporates a low carbohydrate meal plan and 3 supplements to boost, alkalinise and heal the digestive system to boost overall health and wellbeing, and to clear the skin. Reference