Worried about acne? Cut down milk

Teenagers with acne - a common skin disease that causes pimples - may get a clear skin if they cut down their milk intake, a new study says.

Many a spotty teenager has been told to lay off chips and chocolate if they want clear skin but a research carried out at Harvard School of Public Health showed that teenagers who drink a pint or more of milk a day are almost 50 percent more likely to develop spots and pimples than those who rarely or never drink milk.

The researchers looked at the teenage diet of more than 47,000 women and then compared dairy product intake with cases of acne. Analysis of the results revealed a clear link between milk and skin problems, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.

Worst off were those who regularly drank skimmed milk, with two half-pint glasses a day raising the risk of the condition by 44 percent. Those who drank a pint of whole milk a day were 12 percent more likely to develop acne, while semi-skimmed milk increased the risk by 16 percent.

Overall, those who regularly drank milk were 22 percent more likely to have suffered from acne than those who rarely or never drank it.

Cream and cottage cheeses also raised the risk of the condition; however, chips, chocolate and pizza did not, the scientists said.

Writing in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the researchers said that sex and growth hormones naturally found in cow's milk might trigger off spots.

However, Britain's milk producers said that milk has many health benefits. "Unnecessary exclusion of dairy from the diet can compromise nutrient intakes," said Judith Bryans of the Dairy Council.