Does an Apple a Day Keep the Acne Away?

In our ongoing mission here at Supernatural Acne Treatment to analyse the acne-clearing or acne-causing powers of many common foods, we will now discuss apples.

Apples at least have the reputation of a nutritious superfood. The famous “apple a day” phrase was originally an old proverb from Pembrokeshire in Wales. The original saying was “eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” By the early 20^th century it had evolved into “an apple a day, no doctor to pay”.

Finally, it became “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” by 1922, when that phrase was first recorded.

If the proverb is true then that’s great news; apples are the second most popular fruit in the USA. The average American eats 19 pounds of apples per year, ranking behind only the banana at 33 pounds per year.

Luckily, upon doing the research for this article, I discovered that apples are far more acne friendly than I once believed.

 

Bursting with acne-clearing antioxidants

At first glance, apples look rather basic with little acne-clearing nutrition to offer. A single apple weighing 150 grams contains…

• 12% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C.
• 5% of the RDI for potassium.
• 0% for vitamin B12.
• 5% for vitamin K1.
• 3% for manganese.
• 2% for vitamin A.
• 3% for vitamin B6.
• 1% for vitamin E.
• 2% for calcium and magnesium apiece.

The apple’s standout is clearly its vitamin C, which clears acne by lowering stress hormone and accelerating collagen formation, but even this is fairly poor compared to pineapple (79% of the RDI), strawberries (97%), and oranges (88%), Like the pomegranate however, the real star is the apple’s vast range of acne-clearing antioxidants.

You see, apples score nearly as highly on the ORAC scale for measuring antioxidants as the endlessly praised blueberry. 100 grams of raw blueberries scores 4669 while a raw red delicious apple with the skin scores 4275, and a raw Granny Smith apple scores 3898.

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ONE – this study fed apple juice to 25 healthy volunteers, measuring their blood antioxidants levels before and after. After 2 weeks, “intake of apple juice was efficient in enhancing the body’s antioxidant status“. That was just apple juice, as a whole apple retains far more natural enzymes and compounds, because it has all of the undamaged fibre.

TWO – 4 women and 1 man were given an apple and blackcurrant juice (not squash) by scientists. After 1 week, a powerful bodily antioxidant called glutathione peroxidase rose sharply, in close correlation with the juice dosage. Markers of oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde and lipid peroxides fell sharply (study).

THREE – rats on a high cholesterol diet were given either peaches, apples or pears in a 2002 study. While all three boosted plasma antioxidant capacity, apples performed most strongly. Specific antioxidants were also analysed; caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids and the total radical-trapping antioxidative potential (TRAP) were significantly higher in apples.

Apples are a tasty bombshell of antioxidants. For acne, this means not only more glowing skin, but reductions in the squalene peroxide free radical which drives pimple formation in the very earliest stages.

We also understand the reason, as apparently, the white flesh inside an apple is particularly vulnerable to sunlight. The radiation can damage the photosynthesising cells necessary for the fruit’s survival, and consequently, the apple creates a natural sunscreen of polyphenols, one of the fruit’s main antioxidants, which can actually absorb UVB radiation wavelengths. These antioxidants remain in place when the apple is picked from a tree and dropped on your plate, all ready to eat.

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In fact, it’s estimated that 100 grams of raw apple has a total antioxidant activity equivalent to 1500mg (2500% of the RDI) of vitamin C. Apples are particularly high in free phenolic antioxidants, which aren’t bound up with other compounds and are therefore absorbed into the bloodstream highly efficiently.

 

The 3 skin-clearing compounds of apples

What’s even better is that the specific antioxidants in apples have their own special powers: 

Quercetin – in this article on sweet potatoes, we discussed how a phytonutrient called quercetin decreases the activity of immune system mast cells in your gut, restraining the histamine they release and the acne this ultimately causes. Well, apples are another excellent source of quercetin, particularly the skins. Quercetin can also slash inflammation; studies show strong reductions in the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein.

Chlorogenic acid – this antioxidant is responsible for the weight loss and heart health powers of coffee, and luckily for us acne patients, lowering inflammation is partly how it works.

This 2014 study found sizeable reductions in a swathe of pro-inflammatory chemicals, including interleukin-6, IL-1beta, and COX-2. In the the human body, chlorogenic acid is metabolised into the structurally related caffeic acid, which has strong anti-inflammatory powers of its own (study). Apples contain less chlorogenic acid than coffee, but are a decent source.

Ferulic acid – a compound found in bilberries, dates, coffee and certain beans, which has similar anti-inflammatory properties to chlorogenic acid, but also improves the efficiency of insulin molecules according to one study. This increases overall insulin sensitivity, allowing bloodstream insulin to fall and helping acne via reducing oil production.

Apples are packed with hidden nutritional strength, strength which cannot be deduced from the vitamin C count on a google nutrition table. 

 

Why apples can occasionally destroy your skin

With all the praise out the way, apples have one large flaw for acne, which only affects some people: FODMAPs. This increasingly infamous term is a family of natural carbohydrates, which many modern humans can barely digest. FODMAPs are rapidly digested by unhealthy intestinal bacteria and have a strong tendency to suck in water. In the sensitive, this causes symptoms like gas, bloating, stomach pain, indigestion – and our old friend acne.

FODMAPs are the reason why many seemingly healthy and “clean” foods can give people explosive acne outbreaks with no logical explanation. They’re why blackberries might mysteriously be your nemesis while the rest of the nutritional world is bowing down before them.

We won’t get into the full causes of FODMAP sensitivity today, except to say that genetics and antibiotic abuse are two big ones. What is certain is that apples are a classic FODMAP sensitivity food, which doctors nearly always recommend against when proscribing low FODMAP dietary protocols (alongside apricots, blackberries, mangoes, etc). Supposedly, 5% of the population has an apple sensitivity.

There are two specific FODMAPs in apples. Firstly, its ratio of total sugars is skewed way towards the poorly digested fructose rather than glucose. Its ratio is 2:1 (67% fructose) versus a far healthier 0.2:1 for cranberries (17%). This fructose makes up the M for monosaccharide portion of the acronym.

Secondly, every apple you hold is packed with sorbitol, a member of the “P” for polyol portion. Sorbitol is a popular sugar-free sweetener in baking, proudly bearing the shiny E-number of E470, but it’s also the main FODMAP of many sweet fruits like peaches and blackberries. Meanwhile, root vegetables such as onions have fructans as their main FODMAP (an “O” for oligosaccharide).

The entire issue of FODMAP sensitivity can actually be solved with a months-long protocol requiring much patience. No FODMAP food is inherently toxic – you just need to strengthen your gut bacteria to digest them correctly.

The point for now is that because of FODMAPS, acne patients can and do have bad reactions to apples. You’re probably safe, but be prepared!

 

 

The truth about sugar in apples

The second tiny flaw of apples is their moderately high sugar content, averaging at 10-12 grams per medium sized apple (150 grams), versus 7-8 grams for the same quantity of strawberries or raspberries.

Sugar, of course, is an inflammatory menace which is secretly wielding the puppet strings of many of today’s health epidemics. However, its consequences for acne rarely kick in at below 50 grams daily. You have to eat some sugar, or you’ll drive yourself mad with an all meat and oil diet.

Consequently, a moderately sugary apple won’t derail your acne-clearing efforts whatsoever. You just need to avoid gorging on sugary chocolate and candy elsewhere.

 

Indirect evidence of acne greatness

Moreover, it’s pretty obvious from the anecdotal evidence that the sugar and FODMAPs barely dent the apple’s actual powers. Apples have been referenced in folklore tales handed down throughout history. The old proverb didn’t appear out of thin air.

Stroke prevention – in a large study on 70,000 people, apples and pears had the biggest preventative effect on strokes. Many fruits and vegetables were tested, and leafy green vegetables also performed well.

Cancer prevention – many studies have detected an unusual ability in apples to prevent colon and lung cancer, and its flavonoid antioxidants have anti-proliferative effects on isolated cancer cells. One apple a day is enough to slash your cancer risk (so it’s true!).

Type 2 diabetes – we already discussed how ferulic acid can prevent insulin resistance, and an excellent study on whole apples found a 7% reduced risk of diabetes. Various apple compounds can 1) stimulate the absorption of glucose in the digestive tract, and 2) enhance the sensitivity of insulin receptors.

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Weight loss – eating a whole apple before a meal may reduce your calorie intake by 15%, while strengthening your feelings of post meal satiety (2009 study). Note that only a whole apple achieved these results, rather than apple juice or apple sauce.

 

 

The verdict – should acne patients feast on apples?

After sifting through the evidence, my conclusion is as follows: apples are not an extraordinary superfood. They’ve very run of the mill for an acne-clearing fruit.

They can’t compare to watermelons with their power to accelerate wound healing, or cherries and their sleep boosting powers. Nevertheless, apples are excellent for acne-clearing antioxidants and their anti-inflammatory properties are respectable.

Consequently, they’re a top food to eat as part of a wider acne-friendly diet. If you adore the taste of apples or are eating them already for your wider health, then keep going!

Apples are perfect for life circumstances where your antioxidant demands are high; if you’re a smoker, if you’re bombarded by free radicals from air pollution, if you’re dependant on fast food cooked in vegetable oils, or if you’re a labourer in factories or fields where pesticides are floating around.

One last important note: eating the skin of an apple is absolutely vital. 

The skin is where all the antioxidant defences are concentrated, which is why the skin is a vibrant red or green colour whereas the flesh inside is a yellowy white. Antioxidants provide colour in fruits (think pomegranate). For example…

• A raw apple with the skin features 4.42mg of quercetin whereas a raw red apple without features 1.50mg.
• A raw red delicious apple has an ORAC score of 4225, whereas a raw skinless red delicious has a score of just 2936.
• The phenolic compounds are particularly concentrated in the skin, which provides the apple’s every-varying red colour constellations.

Never, ever peel the skin off! It’s also a smart idea to pick the most colourful apples you can find.

 

Say no to apple juice!

Don’t get the idea that you can simply swig down a carton of apple juice for breakfast. Firstly, like any fruit juice, apple juice is dramatically higher in sugar, with approximately 25 grams per single cup. Unlike in a whole apple, where’s there’s plenty of soluble fiber and apple pectin to bind the sugar together, the sugar in apple juice is digested in a millisecond, where it floods straight to your liver, turns to fat, and plays havoc with your insulin levels.

Generally, the pro-inflammatory effects of sugar are enhanced by rapid digestion. It’s partly fruit juice marketed to children as “healthy” and “one of your five a day” that’s causing the epidemic of rotting teeth in youngsters, not just cookies and cake.

The second big reason to minimise apple juice is its high levels of arsenic contamination.

Arsenic is a heavy metal which was once popular as a pesticide, but was banned in the early 2000s due to its skin-discolouring, intestine-wrecking, and brain-frying qualities. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limited the quantity of trace arsenic allowable in drinking water to 10ppb, but strangely, they didn’t take action on foods and other popular drinks…

…and hence, a test by Consumer Reports on 88 juice samples found that 10% had arsenic levels higher than the US federal drinking water limit. A quarter also had lead levels exceeding the 5pbb limit for bottled water.

Apple and grape juices are the most contaminated juices of all, beating orange juice with ease. 8 samples of apple juice, for instance, had arsenic levels of 23ppb of more. Separately, Consumer Reports studied 3000 participants from 2003 to 2008, and found that regular apple juice drinkers had an average of 19% higher urinary arsenic levels.

Why’s that a problem for acne specifically? Because somehow, arsenic has the power to accelerate your keratin production.

Keratin is the protein that binds your skin cells together. It is utterly critical for all acne patients to control, because when there’s too much being produced, your dead skin cells bind together too. They then mix with sebum and create an immovable pore-blocking glue.

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Another classic symptom of arsenic poisoning is skin discolouration, and a particularly notorious consequence is vitamin A deficiency. Night blindness is a common symptom, for example.

The good news is that in 2013, the FDA responded to a wave of publicity and proposed hard limits on arsenic in apple juice. There was also a big public outcry, led by television guru Dr Oz after he did an exposé on his popular show.

Logically, apple juice companies are bound to respond to consumer pressure and crack down on arsenic one day. That said, the sugar problems would still stand. 

Personally, I love apple juice and used to have a glass every day with my breakfast. However, it clearly caused a painful burst of acne to sprout up on my cheek nearly every time I drank it. It was always one of my peskiest breakout foods. Hence, I now only drink it as a special treat when dining out a restaurant.

NEXT: the ultimate diet for clearing acne permanently

 

 

Thanks for reading!