Dermatologist may have cracked the mystery behind acne

• 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.