Skin Disease, Genes & the Stone Age
The genetic link between your diet and skin health

Our skin is a dynamic living tissue; the health of our skin is intimately connected to the health of the rest of our body including our digestive, hormonal and immune systems, perhaps somewhat surprisingly the health of our skin is also closely connected to our genetic composition. It is often assumed that genetic disorders are inherited however our genetic composition closely interacts with our diet, and the behaviour of our genes can dramatically change depending on what we eat for better or worse. The foods we eat could be considered genetic messengers containing a complex blend of gene signalling molecules. Simply put our diet sends messages to our genes influencing the genetic expression and in turn our health.

The concept of food as a genetic messenger is easy to understand if you take the time to consider what message a serving of potato chips might send to your genes compared to a piece of fresh fruit, clearly the fruit sends a messages of health while the potato chips send a message of disease. This interaction between the food we eat and our genes can have important implications for the way we look and feel, just the way too many potato chips might make us look big around the waist, too much of the wrong food may also affect the quality of our skin.

So what is the right diet for our genes? The human genome doesn’t change quickly, in fact over the past 10,000 years our genetic composition has changed by about 0.005% in contrast our diet has changed dramatically; genetically speaking we are stone agers living in a modern age. Currently our genetic composition can be considered mismatched with our diet. Historically speaking, foods such as refined cereals, sugar, salt, dairy products, processed foods and additives were non-existent. Our traditional diet consisted chiefly of lean meats, seafood, fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables, these foods are reflective of the foods consumed throughout the majority of our evolutionary history and the foods we are best suited to, the foods that send healthy messages to our genes.

Many modern foods are related to the development of skin diseases. Food additives may play an important role in skin health; chronic urticaria for example may be due to sensitivity to various food or food additives. Chronic urticaria is a long-standing skin disorder that appears pale with slightly elevated swellings surrounded by an area of redness which can itch intensely. An additive-free diet has been shown to be effective in the treatment of the majority of patients with chronic urticaria and it seems that children in particular respond well to the removal of dietary food additives.

Although a dermatologist might tell you differently, a mismatch between our modern diet and genetic composition is strongly linked to the development of acne. In 2002 a research group found that although acne is present in almost all adolescents, and many adults in western society it is totally absent in traditional societies consuming a traditional diet free from modern processed foods. Following on from this interesting finding a research group from Melbourne’s RMIT University recently found that a diet low in processed foods does improve acne. Unfortunately dermatology text books still dismiss the relationship between diet and acne.

Both from a genetic and historical perspective cereal grains are a relative new human food, not surprisingly many people are sensitive or allergic to wheat products. Celiac disease or a diagnosed sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in certain cereals including wheat, is primarily a digestive disorder and often causes symptoms such as diarrhoea and abdominal pain. However celiac disease can also result in a number of other symptoms including several skin diseases. One of the most common skin disorders found in celiac disease sufferers is dermatitis herpetiformis an itchy, long-standing, eruption which may leave pigmentation and scarring.

Humans are unique in that we are the only species that continues to consume breast milk after the suckling period, furthermore that milk is from another animal species, the cow. Allergy to cow’s milk protein is present in 3% of infants under the age of 12 months and is often misdiagnosed as reflux or colic. Cows milk allergy left undiagnosed can lead to the development of skin conditions such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria.

Wheat and dairy product are among the most common food allergens. Food allergy may also play a role in the development of more severe skin disorders, in a study conducted in Switzerland it was found that approximately one third of children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, suggesting a strong role of food allergy in the development of this disorder. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, itchy inflammation of the skin; atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases in the western world.

Clearly the Western highly processed diet, high in refined cereals, dairy products, trans fatty acids, sugars, salt and additives communicates messages to our genes and causes the expression of ill health including skin related diseases such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, urticaria and acne. Why not eat like your ancestors did for millions of years? There is good evidence to suggest that our traditional diet consisting chiefly of lean meats, seafood, fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables is the best diet for our genetic constitution and overall health.

Benjamin Brown N.D
Technical Research Officer
Health World Ltd