What's Diet Got to Do With It? Basic and Clinical Science Behind Diet and Acne

Acne has been considered a disease of Western society, which consumes a diet that includes high glycemic index dairy and fatty foods. Although large, blinded, randomized controlled trials surrounding the impact of diet on acne are challenging to conduct, there is early evidence from small clinical trials and larger observational studies as well as other basic scientific research on the contributions of diet in the pathogenesis of acne. This article will focus on the existing evidence behind one of the proposed pathways of acne pathogenesis-mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), which is a major promoter of cellular growth and proliferation and is primarily regulated through nutrient availability, insulin, and insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1).