Association of diet with acne vulgaris among adolescents in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria

Background Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous units that affects 85% of the world's population aged 11-30 years. Diet is believed to affect the severity of acne vulgaris. Objectives This study was designed to identify possible associations of diet with acne vulgaris in Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents in Ibadan in 2011. Students were interviewed for demographic data, history of acne, and frequency of intake of specific foods in the previous 12 months. Each participant was examined for facial acne. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each participant. Results Data for 464 students were analyzed. The mean +/- standard deviation age of all subjects was 13.6 +/- 3.6 years, and the mean BMI was 17.8 kg/m(2). A total of 299 (64.4%) students were found to have acne vulgaris. Frequencies of intake of various foods varied widely. Prevalences of acne were higher among those who reported an at least daily intake of milk as beverage (72.6% vs. 62.0%; P = 0.035), corn (76.6% vs. 62.3%; P = 0.016), fried beef (75.0% vs. 62.1%; P = 0.042), and cake (77.8% vs. 62.3%; P = 0.012), and less common among those students who reported an at least daily intake of bananas (55.3% vs. 67.6%; P = 0.032). Conclusions The present findings suggest associations between some foods and acne in the Nigerian context. An interventional dietary study will be required to further ascertain the effects of these foods on acne vulgaris.