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Association between adult acne and dietary behaviors: findings from the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study

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Penso, Laetitia, Touvier, Mathilde, Deschasaux, Mélanie, Szabo de edelenyi, Fabien, Hercberg, Serge, Ezzedine, Khaled, Sbidian, Emilie·2020·JAMA Dermatology
DOI 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.1602PMC PMC7287950
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Abstract

Importance: Acne is a chronic, multifactorial inflammatory disease. The association between consumption of dairy products and fatty and sugary foods and occurrence and progression of acne remains unclear. Objective: To assess the association between dietary behavior and current acne in adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional study was performed as part of the NutriNet-Santé study, which is an ongoing observational, web-based cohort study that was launched in France in May 2009. The present study was conducted from November 14, 2018, to July 8, 2019. A total of 24 452 participants completed an online self-questionnaire to categorize their acne status: never acne, past acne, or current acne. Associations between dietary behavior (food intake, nutrient intake, and the dietary pattern derived from a principal component analysis) and current or past acne were studied in multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounding variables (age, sex, physical activity, smoking status, educational level, daily energy intake, number of dietary records completed, and depressive symptoms). Results: The 24 452 participants (mean [SD] age, 57 [14] years; 18 327 women [75%]) completed at least 3 dietary records. Of these, 11 324 individuals (46%) reported past or current acne. After adjustment, there was a significant association between current acne and the consumption of fatty and sugary products (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.54; 95% CI, 1.09-2.16), sugary beverages (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01-1.38), and milk (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.00-1.25). An energy-dense dietary pattern (high consumption of fatty and sugary products) was associated with current acne (aOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, consumption of milk, sugary beverages, and fatty and sugary products appeared to be associated with current acne in adults. Further large-scale studies are warranted to investigate more closely the associations between diet and adult acne.

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  • An 8-week trial of a low-GI diet (GI of 51) on 58 adolescent participants failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in facial acne severity compared with a control diet (GI, 61); however, there was a nonsignificant trend toward a greater benefit with the low-GI diet (acne severity score change: low GI −0.65 ± 0.14 vs high GI −0.35 ± 0.15; P = .15).

    “In contrast, an 8-week trial of a low-GI diet (GI of 51) conducted on 58 adolescent participants failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in facial acne severity compared with a control diet (GI, 61); however, there was a nonsignificant trend toward a greater benefit with the low-GI diet (acne severity score change: low GI mean ± SEM, n = 23, −0.65 ± 0.14 vs high GI mean ± SEM, n = 20, −0.”

    From Diet and acne: A systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as [45]

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Authors
Penso, L., Touvier, M., Deschasaux, M., Szabo de edelenyi, F., Hercberg, S., Ezzedine, K., & Sbidian, E.
Affiliations
  • Paris 13 University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Conservatoire National Des Arts et Métiers, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team, Epidemiology and Statistics Research Centre, University of Paris, F-93022 Bobigny, France
  • Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (FR)
  • Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR)
  • Epidemiology in Dermatology and Evaluation of Therapeutics, EA7379, Paris-Est University, Paris Est Créteil University, Département Infectieux/Immuno/Vaccin, F-94000 Créteil, France
Corresponding author
Ezzedine, Khaled
ORCID
Venue
JAMA Dermatology
Publisher
American Medical Association (AMA)
Published
2020-08-01
Volume
156
Issue
8
Pages
854
ISSN
2168-6068 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.1602
PMC
PMC7287950
OpenAlex
W3033632305
Cited by
115
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 5
FWCI
9.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JAMA Dermatology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Acne and Rosacea Treatments and Effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
Keywords
adult acne, dietary behavior, dairy products, milk consumption, sugary beverages, fatty foods, energy-dense diet, dietary habits, NutriNet-Santé, acne risk factors
MeSH terms
Diet, Healthy, Dietary Sugars, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Acne Vulgaris, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Animals, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dietary Fats, Eating, Female, Food, France, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Milk, Nutrition Surveys, Prospective Studies, Principal Component Analysis, Young Adult

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