Sugar, Glycaemic Load and Acne
Does sugar make acne worse?
Supported by small trials, the best diet evidence for acne
Partly. Three small randomised trials found fewer acne lesions after 10 to 12 weeks on a lower-glycaemic-load diet, and sugary drinks are linked to more acne in observational studies. It is the best-supported diet link for acne, but the trials are small.
What glycaemic load means
Glycaemic load describes how quickly and how far a food or meal raises your blood sugar. Wholegrains, beans, lentils and most vegetables raise it slowly. White bread, white rice, sweets and sugary drinks raise it quickly.
What the trials found
In a 12-week randomised trial of 43 young men, a lower-glycaemic-load diet cut lesion counts by more than the comparison diet. Another report of a 12-week trial in 43 men found that a high-protein, lower-glycaemic-load diet cut lesions more and also lowered the free androgen index, a hormone measure. A 10-week trial in 32 Korean patients also found fewer lesions, with smaller oil glands and less inflammation on biopsy. These trials changed whole diets, not only sugar, so they cannot isolate one food.
What observational studies add
In a survey of 8,226 Chinese university students, drinking sweetened tea, or fruit-flavoured drinks, seven or more times a week went with moderate-to-severe acne. The link for fizzy soda was not statistically clear. In the French adult study, sugary drinks and fatty, sugary foods were linked to current acne. These show associations only.
Limits
The trials are small, short, and mostly in young men. We do not yet know how well the results carry to others, or how long any benefit lasts. A diet change is worth trying alongside a routine, not in place of one.
For breakouts
A lower-glycaemic-load diet, built on foods that raise blood sugar slowly, improved acne in a 12-week randomised trial.
- Wholegrains, beans and lentils
- Vegetables and fruit
- Some protein with each meal
- Sugary drinks for water or unsweetened tea
- White bread and rice for wholegrain versions
Questions people ask
The trials swapped the type of carbohydrate rather than banning foods, and we do not recommend strict rules. Swaps such as water or unsweetened tea for sugary drinks, and wholegrain for white versions, are the practical takeaway.
No. Glycaemic load also depends on starch, fibre, and what a food is eaten with. A sweet fruit can have a lower glycaemic load than white bread.
Research
Selected studies and reviews on sugar, glycaemic load and acne. Each link opens the abstract on PubMed. This is background reading, not a substitute for advice from a dermatologist.
- A low-glycemic-load diet improves symptoms in acne vulgaris patients: a randomized controlled trial.Smith RN et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2007 · PMID 17616769Note: 12-week randomised trial.
- The effect of a high-protein, low glycemic-load diet versus a conventional, high glycemic-load diet on biochemical parameters associated with acne vulgaris: a randomized, investigator-masked, controlled trial.Smith RN et al. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2007 · PMID 17448569Note: 12-week randomised trial.
- Clinical and histological effect of a low glycaemic load diet in treatment of acne vulgaris in Korean patients: a randomized, controlled trial.Kwon HH et al. Acta Derm Venereol, 2012 · PMID 22678562Note: 10-week randomised trial.
- Daily Intake of Soft Drinks and Moderate-to-Severe Acne Vulgaris in Chinese Adolescents.Huang X et al. J Pediatr, 2019 · PMID 30274928Note: Survey of 8,226 students.
- Association Between Adult Acne and Dietary Behaviors: Findings From the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study.Penso L et al. JAMA Dermatol, 2020 · PMID 32520303Note: Cross-sectional study, 24,452 adults.
General information, not dietary or medical advice. These guides describe what studies found and how strong the evidence is. Talk to a doctor or dietitian if you have a condition, are pregnant or are changing your diet or supplements.