[PHNUTR-L] Acne, milk and the iodine connection

[Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own
opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic. If you do not wish to
receive these posts, set your email filter to filter out any messages
coming from   @nutritionucanlivewith.com    and the program will remove
anything coming from me.
---------------------------------------------------------
Public release date: 7-Dec-2005
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/uab-ama120705.php

Contact: Lois Baker
ljbaker at buffalo.edu
716-645-5000 x1417
University at Buffalo

Acne, milk and the iodine connection

Dermatologists seem to agree that something in milk and dairy products 
may be linked to teen-age acne.

But is it hormones and "bioactive molecules," as a study in the Journal 
of the American Academy of Dermatology suggested, or is there something 
else?

University at Buffalo dermatologist Harvey Arbesman, M.D., says there 
could be something else: Iodine.

Arbesman, a UB clinical assistant professor of dermatology and social 
and preventive medicine, details his reasoning in a letter published in 
the "Notes and Comments" section of the current (December) issue of the 
journal.

"It has been well-established since the 1960s that iodine intake can 
exacerbate acne," said Arbesman. "Nevertheless, various studies have 
shown there is still a significant level of iodine in milk in several 
countries, including the U.S., Britain, Denmark, Norway and Italy.

"Farmers give their cows iodine-fortified feed to prevent infection," he 
noted, "and they use sanitizing iodine solutions on their cows' udders 
and milking equipment. Consequently, there is lot of iodine in dairy 
products. For that reason, I've advised my acne patients for years to 
decrease their dairy intake."

Arbesman suggests the connection between acne and dairy products 
observed in the study could be secondary to the iodine content of the 
dairy products. "More importantly," he said, "the connection could be a 
combination of hormones and iodine."

It's important to bring the iodine connection to the fore to encourage 
the dairy industry to address the issue, Arbesman said. He suggested 
that future studies on the relationship of milk products and acne should 
consider the role iodine content may play.
-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar at nutritionucanlivewith.com >
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian"  http://www.parkinson.org/
"Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
"Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy"
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/