Sugar causing skin issues? Spicy food is also problematic.

[dervmai]

Could sugar be causing my eczema and dermatitis? I have noticed my skin gets itchy after consuming sugar or unhealthy forms of it at least. I also react to spicy food. My skin gets itchy.

Ray advocates the use of sugars and this is why I am a bit confused about why this is happening if sugar is supposedly good. Many seb derm cases have been resolved from abstaining from sugar. I have found multiple testimonies on reddit and other forums. I am thinking it is caused by maybe candida. I got a candida blood test to see if I have any antibodies. I know these tests are super unreliable though.

I ordered some kefir grains and will try to make a probiotic juice out of it, I've reacted negatively to other probiotics in the past. Hoping this is different, apparently it is according to Frank Tufano.

 

[Vileplume]

When you say sugar, do you mean white granulated sugar?

I think white sugar can cause digestive issues for some people. I’ve noticed that it sometimes slows my transit time and can exacerbate my constipation.

 

[dervmai]

When you say sugar, do you mean white granulated sugar?

I think white sugar can cause digestive issues for some people. I’ve noticed that it sometimes slows my transit time and can exacerbate my constipation.

I think white sugar. I don't notice a reaction like that to fruits and honey and stuff like that, I might be but I don't notice it. However things like junk foods with sugar in it will cause a reaction. I'm actually scared to eat fruits right now though because I might have candida.

 

[Phaedrus]

White sugar is devoid of nutrients so the skin issues could be the result of nutritional deficiencies when that sugar increases your metabolism.

You may have heard of the Burr study from 1929 where rats were fed a fat-free diet of refined sugar syrup and casein. The rats developed dry, scaly skin which adding certain fats like linoleic acid cured.

Ray Peat’s cogent explanation of this study was that the fat-free rats developed a very high metabolism - but when you increase the metabolic rate, you need a corresponding increase in nutrients, otherwise deficiencies will cause skin and other issues. Linoleic acid would lower metabolism and therefore the nutrient deficiency side effects also.

Try cutting back on the white sugar and getting your sugar only in the form of honey and fructose from fruit and fruit juice for a while. These all come with nutrients that should prevent any nutrient deficiencies and hopefully resolve your dermatitis and eczema.

I think for most people who already eat lots of milk, fruits, eggs, liver, shellfish, etc, some added white sugar is usually harmless, but it can be overdone.

 

[David PS]

Could sugar be causing my eczema and dermatitis? I have noticed my skin gets itchy after consuming sugar or unhealthy forms of it at least. I also react to spicy food. My skin gets itchy.

Ray advocates the use of sugars and this is why I am a bit confused about why this is happening if sugar is supposedly good. Many seb derm cases have been resolved from abstaining from sugar. I have found multiple testimonies on reddit and other forums. I am thinking it is caused by maybe candida. I got a candida blood test to see if I have any antibodies. I know these tests are super unreliable though.

I ordered some kefir grains and will try to make a probiotic juice out of it, I've reacted negatively to other probiotics in the past. Hoping this is different, apparently it is according to Frank Tufano.

There is not very much information on the forum about kefir. I am interested in the gut-brain axis and I was surprised to learn about the gut-skin axis. I hope you keep us informed.

I have been using kefir since July 2023 with the intention of increasing my gut microbiome. As I have come to understand, many probiotics only feed the existing bacteria in the gut and they do not increase gut microbiome diversity. Environmental toxins including the over use of probiotics and chlorinated water is attacking our microbiome on a daily basis. It my take 6 months or more to correct the situation.