Salty and spicy food; are they involved in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris? A case controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have suggested a strong relation between diet and acne. Many patients with acne believe that spicy and salty foods exacerbate acne. AIM: To assess the relationship between the dietary intake of salty and spicy food and the onset, severity, duration of acne. METHODS: Two hundred patients with acne vulgaris and 200 age- and gender-matched controls were subjected to a detailed questionnaire taking, clinical examination and dietary assessment through using "24 h recall" method. Sodium content of the 24-h food intake was computed by a computer program connecting participants' dietary information to the food composition table of National Nutrition Institute data base. RESULTS: Patients with acne consumed significantly higher daily amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl) (median 3367.54 mg) compared to the controls (median 2271.8 mg) (P < 0.001). A negative correlation between the amount of NaCl in the diet of patients with acne and the age of onset of acne lesions was detected (r = -0.216, P = 0.031). However, neither salty nor spicy food correlated with duration or severity of the disease. CONCLUSION: Consumption of salty foods was significantly higher among patients with acne compared to acne free subjects, making the consumption of salty food a possible participating factor in the development of acne.