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Healthy Food that Might be Causing Acne

It can help you lose weight and build muscle, while also being a great way to add protein to nearly every meal (even dessert!).

But US WH beauty director Maura Lynch recently learnt a surprising downside of the stuff from dermatologist Dr Mona Gohara.

Here’s the scoop:

Read more: 6 superfood powders that’ll give your body a boost

“Dr Gohara and her colleagues are anecdotally seeing an uptick in acne among women who drink shakes and smoothies spiked with whey protein.

“There is some research to back it up; one study followed 30 participants on a daily whey regimen for two months and found that female subjects were most susceptible to breakouts. The thinking is that whey upregulates our androgenic hormones, such as testosterone, more than men’s, spurring excess sebum production.

“It also causes an increase in the amount of insulin growth factor our bodies produce, triggering more oil production.