Does eating sweets really cause spots? It is a popular myth that eating sweets or even oily foods causes spots. Acne - the curse of teenagers - is caused by over-sensitivity of the skin to the male hormone testosterone, especially during puberty when hormones are rampaging around the body.
Girls also produce some testosterone, though in smaller quantities than boys. Acne is reckoned to affect more than 80 per cent of youths between the ages of 12 and 25.
During puberty, the skin produces more oil and the pores are more open. If a pore becomes partially blocked, the oil builds up and encourages the acne bacteria. The bacteria multiply and the body starts to fight them, resulting in the red spots characteristic of acne.
Writing in New Scientist , dermatologist Tony Chu of Imperial College in London said studies in the United States have examined whether there was any relationship between diet and acne.
In one study, some patients ate a lot of chocolates and other foods while another group avoided them. The spots that developed on each person were counted. The study found no significant evidence that sweets, chocolates, fried or fatty food had any impact on acne.
While diet may play a role in the development of acne for a minority of people, it seems that for about 95 per cent of those who suffer from acne, diet plays no part at all.