If you’re one of the many with acne problems, you’ve
undoubtedly tried many a method to achieve nice skin. The amount of skin
cleansers, lotions, creams, and even laser beams out there that state they are
the cure to acne is outstanding. Unfortunately, everyone’s skin is different,
so your only option is to keep trying new methods until you eventually find one
that works.
Here’s a new one: you can possibly cure your acne by
skipping meals.
EOD (Every Other Day) fasting is a new diet strategy that
involves going a day without eating, a day with a normal diet, and repeating
indefinitely. It has been proven to provide many health benefits, even more so
than an average caloric-restriction diet.
The terms you need to know here are “mTOR” and “IGF-1”. The
signaling pathway “mTOR” works as a central controller of cell growth. It is
highly affected by the nutrients you eat, and responds accordingly by “turning
on”. “IGF-1” is a hormone that is very important to human growth, and is
connected with mTOR activation.
These two terms are important to understand because, in
recent studies, they have been found to play a major role in the presence of
acne. So, how might EOD fasting help your acne problem?
Fasting Lowers mTOR Activity and IGF-1
While fasting intermittently, your mTOR gets a chance to
turn off once in a while and take a break. This reduces IGF-1 production as a
result. If these really are responsible for your acne, then fasting alone might
clear your acne up.
Fasting Helps You Lose Weight
The main reason people embark on an intermittent fasting
diet is to lose weight. Being overweight has been proven to increase mTOR and
IGF-1, which would explain why many people struggle with break-outs and
inflammations when they begin to gain weight.
Fasting Limits Certain Foods
It’s always been suspected that food and acne share a
connection. Studies have shown that certain foods that increase mTOR activity,
namely dairy, have been prevalent in the diets of those with more acne. Milk
(especially skim milk) heightens IGF-1 levels significantly: from 10-20% in
adults. It also boosts your insulin response, which in turn increases formation
of IGF-1. By fasting and eating less, your body will be stimulated less by
these substances.
If you’ve had a difficult time treating your acne, this
might be worth a try. Not only are there weight loss and acne benefits tied in
with EOD fasting, there have also been speculations that it might increase
longevity and overall quality of life. If nothing else, try cutting dairy out
of your diet for a couple weeks. It may be affecting you way more than you
would think.
Another preventive measure that I see very few people
partaking of is proper exfoliation. Regardless of other methods, this is a must
for skin health. Use a legitimate at home
microdermabrasion kit, and get rid of those layers and layers of dead skin
cells that are clogging your pores. Ideally, in addition
to afasting experiment, this will make a huge difference in the quality of your
skin. However, be sure to ask your doctor before you try it; EOD fasting is not
for everyone.
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