OSLO – High intake of chocolate and potato chips along with mental health issues is linked to the development of zits, pimples, bumps and blemishes in young people, says a Norwegian study.

Researcher Jon Anders Halvorsen, University of Oslo, along with co-authors from Lhasa (Tibet) and Boston (US) looked into the possible causes of the common skin condition affecting millions of adolescents.

The team investigated the links between acne, diet and mental health issues in both males and females.

The researchers found a significant connection between acne and low intake of raw and fresh vegetables in girls, leading to probable indication that a low-glycemic index could have a protective role in the development of acne.

Dr. Halvorsen said: “Our study shows a possible link between diet and acne. However, when we introduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in our statistical model, the role of diet became less clear. On the other hand the association between acne and mental health problems was still strong when diet was introduced. This underscores mental health problems as an important aspect of young people’s acne”.

He concluded, “It is too early to give evidence based diet advice to teenagers with acne. Further studies are needed. Luckily, acne is rarely associated with serious morbidity. However, it does cause problems for a high number of young people. I hope that this study will encourage doctors to help adolescents to treat their acne and researchers to find preventive factors. Young people deserve better!”

The study has been published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.