You Are What You Eat: RCTs show a low glycemic index diet improves facial acne

An evidence-based literature review was conducted in order to identify human clinical trials that assess the effect of a low glycemic index diet on facial acne severity (Acne vulgaris). Of the twenty-one studies identified, three met the inclusion criteria of randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) with a primary endpoint of changes in number and severity of acne lesions and were included for final analysis. During the trials, mean glycemic load in control groups ranged from 157 to 207, and mean glycemic load in intervention groups ranged from 102 to 130. In two studies, improvement in acne severity at the end of the trial between the control and intervention groups reached significance. In one trial, the difference between the two groups did not reach significance, however, the intervention group experienced a much greater magnitude of facial acne improvement than the control group. The results of this systematic review of RCTs strongly indicate that a low glycemic index diet improves the severity of facial acne.