There have been numerous studies looking at the connection between acne and peanuts. First though, let’s cover how acne forms for those of you who may not know:

There is a bacterium that lives on your skin called Propionibacterium acnes. The bacteria basically feeds on sebum, which is an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands in the skin. If your body produces too much sebum (your skin becomes too oily), these bacteria grow rapidly and your body must react by bringing in white blood cells to get rid of the bacteria. It is your own body’s reaction that causes the inflammation that can lead to red bumps, pain, and pus formation.

Many acne treatments, therefore, claim to help reduce oily skin (sebum) through various means (although most of them are ineffective). This is probably why peanuts are known to contribute to acne breakouts, because peanuts contain androgen hormones that can increase sebum production and lead to oily skin.

Some of the studies on peanuts and acne have found that eating peanuts creates acne breakouts, while other studies have found no connection. Most of the studies were not done specifically to determine the connection between acne and peanuts, but rather between acne and a variety of foods such as chocolate, milk, cola, peanuts, and others.

What we do know, however, from many anecdotes is that some people tend to have severe acne breakouts a few days after eating peanuts, and that when they stopped eating peanuts, the acne disappeared. So it seems that, at least for some people, a peanut allergy or hormonal imbalance causes acne breakouts when they eat peanuts.

The theory behind peanuts contributing to acne breakouts is that peanuts (and milk, too) contain androgen hormones that cause your body to produce more oil (sebum). This excess oil along with clogged pores can contribute to acne breakouts. It is important to note that peanuts are not the cause of acne, but they can make your existing acne problem worse.

That’s why we recommend anyone suffering from acne breakouts to avoid peanuts for at least 30 days and see if it makes a difference.

We also recommend eliminating milk from your diet, as there are strong connections between milk and acne, due to the hormones found in milk. For me personally, when I stopped eating peanut butter, cut milk out of my diet, and started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables for the fiber and antioxidants, my acne cleared up pretty quickly.