Drinking soft drinks may result in acne breakouts
Q: I believe that one cause of acne seems to be drinking soft drinks or chocolate milk. After I advised some adult family members to stop drinking colas, their acne problems cleared up.
Later, one family member started drinking them again, and the acne problem returned. Do you know about a relationship between these drinks and acne problems?
A: A study from France (JAMA Dermatology, June 10, 2020) suggests that adults who eat a Westernstyle diet with sugary beverages like colas, milk and fatty foods are more prone to acne. This research involved more than 24,000 volunteers.
These findings are consistent with other studies showing that foods that raise blood sugar rapidly (high glycemic load) are linked to skin blemishes. The investigators suggest that this raises blood levels of insulin and other growth factors.
With evidence like this, dermatologists are beginning to accept the idea that diet matters.
Q: I am an 82-year-old healthy woman, active and self-sustaining. I was diagnosed with celiac disease eight years ago after two years of diarrhea that became unmanageable. When I heard a friend describe his symptoms of celiac disease, I could relate. My friend said that a simple blood test would reveal if I had celiac disease. So I asked my doctor for that and bingo, there was the explanation!
I had no sign of any problems my whole lifetime until I was in my
70s. I have had to totally change my eating practices since this diagnosis.
A: Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by exposure to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Doctors used to be taught that it was primarily a childhood disease. Now we know that it can affect people at any age, including those over 65 (Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, September 2009). The prevalence of celiac disease has been increasing in recent years, possibly due to environmental pollution (Environmental Research, May 11, 2020).
To treat celiac disease, you must avoid any food containing gluten. Foods like bread and pasta are obvious, but gluten is also found in places you might not expect, like soy sauce. You need to read labels carefully to make sure you are not exposed.
Q: I’ve been able to remove two individual warts easily and cheaply. I’d had one for three or four years on my heel. The other was several months old, on my left triceps.
Some years before, I’d read about duct tape as a solution. I merely took a piece of duct tape large enough to cover the wart, stuck it on, and left it in place. After a couple of weeks, the tape fell off, so I replaced it. When that fell off (after another two weeks or so), the warts were completely gone.
A: Duct tape has been a controversial treatment for warts for years. Dermatologists have often scoffed that something so simple would be helpful.
A recent study compared duct tape with freezing (cryotherapy). Although cryotherapy was more effective (58% success), silver duct tape also worked for some people (20%).
The duct tape was applied over the wart for up to eight weeks or until the wart disappeared (Dermatologic Therapy, online, March 29, 2020). The authors conclude: “Cryotherapy has higher efficacy than duct tape in the treatment of plantar warts in adults; however, duct tape may represent a practical and convenient alternative to cryotherapy in certain circumstances.”