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PCOS, Acne, and Milk Consumption

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Samuslizaran
Samuslizaran Posts: 1 Member
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I've read a lot about how many women with PCOS have good results by going dairy-free. I had cut back on my milk intake, but still ate cheese and limited yogurt and had good results, my skin cleared up and my periods were more regular. Then I decided that it was probably just a decrease in stress and decided to start drinking milk again and BOOM, cystic acne all over my jaw and an over 60 day cycle...I have been living in denial. I have a problem with milk. It seems like the increase in hormones could be from cows that are not allow to dry before being impregnated again. Or it could just be due to the quantity of milk I was drinking a day...

Have any other women with PCOS had good results from going Dairy-Free or just decreasing overall dairy consumption. I love cheese, so I don't think I want to give that up. I think if anything I'll just buy nice cheese as a treat.

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  • toadoftoadhall
    toadoftoadhall Posts: 33 Member
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    Hi. Same here, my acne is far worse if I have milk, cream or ice cream - even small amounts set it off. Sadly I'm not acne-free even when I'm not eating them, but much better. Cheese and yoghurts don't seem to cause flare-ups for me.
  • kgibbz
    kgibbz Posts: 102 Member
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    Hi there. I recently cut wayyy back on my dairy intake, mostly because Im on metformin and couldnt stay out of the bathroom so I was trying different things. Heres what I can tell you- within 24hrs my met-diarrhea stopped, but a few days later I had a slice of cheese on my sandwhich and boom- back in the bathroom. My acne has seemed to clear up, Im not acne free but Im also not dairy free. I have soymilk in my coffee ~2x a week and I have cheese occasionally too. From what I have read the hormones in milk are so bad for us, especially with PCOS. (Soymilk is slightly worse because of the estrogen- but since my testosterone is high- I figure what the hell?) Also 1 ounce of cheese is the equivalent of 10 ounces of milk, so "a little" cheese can a lot of damage.

    Oh and I WILL NOT give up chocolate.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Actually, there's little evidence that our bodies respond to the hormones in milk (and even if they did, most can't survive the stomach, and even if they did that, it would contribute an insignificant amount compared to what's already made by humans).

    http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2012/06/19/growth-hormones-in-milk-mythfact/

    One of the issues, though, is the fact that dairy is very insulinogenic -- it triggers a large insulin response. That not only increases insulin, but also increase our own production of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), and lowers the mechanisms that keep androgens down (allowing them to elevate, as well). (in case you're wondering, the whey is the worst part, that's why yogurt is still insulinogenic; milk is really bad, because of the one-two punch of lactose and whey.)

    This book's a little old, and I don't agree with his stance on saturated fat (his stance has since changed, but this book predates that change):
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/55357860/The-Dietary-Cure-for-Acne-Loren-Cordain
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I dropped cow milk and cow cheese, replaced with goat cheese. Still have butter and heavy cream. Doesn't seem to bother my system too much, and I was hoping to see a skin change difference. No such luck. My skin looks amazing until the week before my period, then I look like I did at 14. It's horrendous and I absolutely dread PMS week because of it. :frown:
  • MeepleMuppet
    MeepleMuppet Posts: 226 Member
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    Nope, for me it's not milk. I had similar results with lowering my carbs. Less acne, more regular cycle, just generally felt better.

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