Same deal as our sunscreen page: Anders sells nothing related to this topic and never will — we make a wash and a moisturizer, not a meal plan. This page exists because "does food cause acne" gets answered with total confidence in both directions online, and the actual evidence deserves better than that.
The short answer
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) opens its page on this with: "There may be a connection, but probably not for the reason you think." And it closes the loop honestly: "While diet may play a role in causing your breakouts or worsening your acne, keeping your skin clear requires more than a diet change."
Blood sugar, not chocolate
The best-studied link isn't any single villain food — it's how fast a food raises your blood sugar. Per the AAD: "Foods that cause your blood sugar to rise quickly, such as white bread and fries, may worsen acne." The proposed mechanism: "When your blood sugar spikes, it causes inflammation throughout your body," and "These spikes also cause your body to make more sebum, an oily substance in your skin." Inflammation and extra oil are both acne ingredients.
What the studies found
Three the AAD cites, quoted directly:
- USA: "2,258 patients were placed on a low-glycemic diet so that they could lose weight. This diet also reduced their acne, with 87% of patients saying they had less acne, and 91% saying they needed less acne medication."
- Australia: "43 males with acne (aged 15 to 25 years of age) ate either their normal diet or switched to a low-glycemic diet for 12 weeks. At the end of 12 weeks, those who followed the low-glycemic diet had significantly less acne."
- Korea: "32 patients with acne (aged 20 to 27 years old) ate either their normal diet or a low-glycemic diet for 10 weeks," with the low-glycemic group showing "significantly less acne" at the end.
Now the part the confident posts leave out, still the AAD's own words: "other studies have not found a connection between a high-glycemic diet and acne." The evidence leans one way; it is not unanimous. Anyone telling you it's settled is selling something.
The milk thing
Cow's milk is the odd case — it's low-glycemic, yet "some studies suggest that drinking this type of milk may be linked to an increase in acne breakouts." The AAD's stated theory: "some of the hormones in milk cause inflammation inside the body. Inflammation can clog your pores, leading to acne. However, more research is needed to know for sure." Two useful footnotes: the page specifically exempts milkshakes from the low-glycemic description, and "No studies have found that products made from milk, such as yogurt or cheese, lead to more breakouts." Cheese is not on trial.
What to actually do with this
The AAD doesn't hand out a banned-foods list. It recommends paying attention to your own pattern, asking: "Does any food or beverage seem to trigger a breakout or worsen your existing acne? If something seems to trigger a breakout, what happens when you don't have that food or beverage for a day, a week, or a month?" That's an experiment with one subject — you — and it beats any influencer's certainty about your skin.
Meanwhile the unglamorous stuff still applies: the wash-after-sweat habits in the gym article and the basic order of operations in the routine guide cost nothing to check.
Sources
General education, not medical advice, and not a claim about any Anders product — we don't sell anything for this. Persistent or severe acne is a dermatologist conversation, not a grocery-list problem.