One of dermatology's million dollar questions is whether the foods you eat have any bearing on the clearness of your skin. For decades, the American Academy of Dermatology has maintained that there is no link between diet and acne, but scientists have recently started arguing otherwise. In 2008, a study published in "Current Opinion in Pediatrics" stated that "nutritional studies have reevaluated a possible role for diet and lifestyle factors in acne development."
Although there is little scientific evidence that soy has a direct effect on skin, consuming soy products rather than dairy products may help prevent and clear up acne.
Why Some Foods Trigger Acne
According to the book "The Clear Skin Diet" by Dr. Alan Logan and nutrition expert Valori Treloar, acne can develop when the body is exposed to high levels of male hormones like testosterone. Dairy products that come from pregnant cows contain hormones that the human body can turn into testosterone, so there is reason to believe that dairy products may exacerbate acne. Foods with high in sugar and with a low glycemic index, such as sugars and white flour, may also be culprits--they stimulate the production of insulin, another hormone that can play a role in skin problems.
Replacing Dairy With Soy May Help Acne
Your acne may improve if you replace dairy products with soy-based products, such as soy milk and soy ice cream, because soy does not trigger the same acne-causing hormonal cascade that dairy products do.
Other Reasons Soy May Help Acne
According to Cornell University, soy is a phytoestrogen, which means that it is comprised of compounds that mimic the hormone estrogen. Estrogen-like compounds can inhibit the production of male hormones, so soy may prevent acne for this reason, too.
Limitations
Although there is reason to believe that soy may have an effect on acne, no scientific studies have investigated whether people who eat a lot of soy suffer less acne than other people. As a result, the link between acne and soy is still somewhat speculative.
Other Considerations
In people who suffer from soy allergies--about 1.1 percent of the population does--consumption of soy can actually cause acne, according to the Wrong Diagnosis website.
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